- Imran to captain Pakistani sports team, Nawaz Sharif captain of wrestling team: Riaz Pirzada
Federal Minister, and President Pakistan Sports Board, Riaz Pirzada, on Sunday invited Indian parliamentarians to play sports with their Pakistani counterparts as a gesture to shun politics of war.
“I invite Indian parliament members to play cricket and rugby with Pakistani parliament members,” he said while talking to media.
He said Pakistan the Pakistani National Assembly and Senate boasted nice players like, Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Pakistan Peoples Party leader, Aitzaz Ahsan.
To a query regarding who would be prospective team’s captain, the federal minister said Imran Khan would be captain of the sports team; unless wrestling matches were also held, in which case Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would be captain the team.
It should be noted that bilateral cricket between the two countries has been on hold for over three years. BCCI chief Anurag Thakur, who is also a member of Bahratya Janta Party, a rightwing Hindu ruling party, has categorically ruled out any prospect of cricket match between the arch rivals in foreseeable future.
“There is no question of India-Pakistan cricket, post-Uri attack,” he said.
Pakistan and India had signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year, according to which they were supposed to play several home and away series, in India and Pakistan. UAE as a neutral venue for the events was also under discussion.
However, after the Pathankot Attack in early 2016, all these plans have been put on hold. Amidst the growing tensions between both the countries, Pakistan had voiced concerns about playing the T20 World Cup in India this year; however after security assurances from India the national team got a go-ahead.
There were suggestions of a Test match series between the two top Test teams.
Some Indian officials have also called to stop former Pakistan cricketers from working in India as experts and commentators.
Uri attack in India, which came in reaction of India’s continuous atrocities in Kashmir, has further deteriorated the situation. India has blamed Pakistan for the Uri attack to divert the attention of the world from the inhuman treatment daily meted out to with civilians –so-called citizens of India- in Kashmir.
