Pakistan demands probe into attack on cricket fans, ‘anti-Pakistan’ banners

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demanded a probe into a scuffle outside the Leeds cricket stadium a day Pakistan and Afghanistan cricket fans clashed in Leeds followed by an attempted assault on Pakistan cricket team by an Afghan fan.

A statement issued by Foreign Office on Sunday said Pakistan expressed concern over the attack of Afghan fans on Pakistani cricketers and supporters after the match.

Pakistan has demanded sports and law enforcement authorities to conduct detail inquiry into the matter and made the people accountable involved in the incident.

After Pakistan won the match against Afghanistan, an Afghan fan tried to attack Wahab Riaz. The picture shows him being tackled to the ground by an ICC official.

The ugly scenes at Headingley were sparked by the flying of a banner over the ground reading: “Justice for Balochistan.”

Alluding to the banners, the statement said the flying of anti-Pakistan banners was a matter of deep concern and that the use of sports venues for such “malicious propaganda is unacceptable”. The matter is also being taken up through diplomatic channels, it added.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and poorest province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is rife with Islamist, separatist and sectarian insurgencies. The Pakistani military has been waging war on militants there since 2004, and security forces are frequently targeted.