Zaka Ashraf retracts her statement about the “dushman mulk,” and the PCB clarifies it
Following Zaka Ashraf’s contentious remark on India when Pakistan’s players landed in the nation for the 2023 World Cup, the PCB released a statement.
As Babar Azam’s side gets ready to compete in the 2023 World Cup beginning on October 5, the Pakistani cricket team was welcomed warmly upon arrival in India. As Pakistan’s team touched down in India on Wednesday, a sizable crowd of supporters gathered at the Hyderabad airport and began to sing the names of the players, especially Babar. However, shortly after the team arrived in India, Zaka Ashraf, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), inadvertently referred to India as the “enemy nation.”
The PCB has announced an increase in player salaries the day before their arrival. Ashraf continued by saying that the players would be more motivated as they prepared for the World Cup in a nation some may regard to be a “enemy” because of the rise in central contracts.
Ashraf’s remarks received a lot of criticism from cricket fans on both sides of the border. The BCCI authorities (per PTI) and the PCB later on Friday clarified Ashraf’s remarks. In reference to Pakistan’s outstanding reception in India, Ashraf claimed that it demonstrated the intense love that fans of both teams have for their respective players.
The reception held at the airport in Hyderabad was proof of this devotion. Zaka Ashraf personally commended the Indians for planning such a celebration. He remarked that India and Pakistan always appear as traditional rivals but not as adversaries when they play cricket together.
The Chairman of the Management Committee further stressed that cricket matches between Pakistan and India have consistently drawn attention from throughout the world, making those matches more important than other matches in this sport.
Due to the strained relations between the two nations, the two teams compete against one another in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup. However, the players get along well with one another. At the Hyderabad airport, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf were thrilled by the reception.
Ashraf is anticipated to attend the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
Chairman Management Committee further stressed that cricket between Pakistan and India has consistently drawn interest from around the world, which is why cricket between the two countries.
