My Opinion

The joy of triumph was spoiled on Sunday night by Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi, when he insisted on handing over the Asia Cup trophy to champions Team India, but our team refused to take the trophy from him because Naqvi also happens to be Pakistan Home Minister.
This controversy, unprecedented in international cricket, took place at Dubai international stadium after India defeated Pakistan in the final.
The Indian team was willing to accept the trophy from Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al zarooni, but Naqvi was not ready to give in.
Finally, Naqvi left with the Asian Cup trophy and, alongwith it, the medals that were to be given to the winning team players.
Indian cricket board BCCI has written a letter to International Cricket Council objecting to the behaviour of the PCB chief. Social media was flooded with thousands of memes lampooning the Pakistani minister.
Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav announced that he would donate his entire match fees of the tournament to the Indian army, and, with a smile, remarked, at least this would not create any fresh controversy.
In a tit-for-tat gesture, Pakistan team captain Salman Ali Agha also announced he would donate his entire match fees to the families of those who died on May 7 during Indian army’s Operation Sindoor attacks on terror hideouts in Pakistan.
Suryakumar Yadav’s question is genuine. He said, we won all Asia Cup matches, defeated Pakistan thrice, and yet Pakistan went away with the trophy. The team that won the Asia Cup is empty handed, while the team that lost is sitting pretty with the trophy and medals.
This is mockery at its lowest. Why Mohsin Naqvi insisted that he would hand over the trophy to Team India? Would heavens had fallen if the host country UAE’s cricket board vice-chairman had given the trophy to Team India?
PCB chairman is behaving in exactly the same manner in which Pakistan Army Chief did post-Operation Sindoor. With terror hideouts, air base runways and hangar devastated, Asim Munir was crowing a fake victory.
But Suryakumar Yadav and his team replied to the rival’s empty sounding boasts with their bat and ball. Not once, but thrice, in a single tournament. If Mohsin Naqvi has a modicum of shame left, he should hand over the trophy and medals to Team India, otherwise ICC must take action against the Pakistan Cricket Board chief.
The PCB chief has become the butt of ridicule on social media. One joke was classic, in which the Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif was shown posting a message congratulating Pakistan team for winning the Asia Cup and defeating India in all three matches. In the post, the Pakistani PM was shown comparing the attacks of his fast bowlers with missiles and his batters with Pakistan’s air defence systems.
The joke also says, credit for the victory should go to Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir because his army had been imparting training to the cricket team for the last one year.
The satirical joke further depicts Shehbaz Sharif as writing that he has asked the PCB chairman to raise the issue with ICC about why fake matches are being telecast on TV. The Pakistani PM was shown telling his people to trust his words that the army and players have won all matches, including the Cup.
There are many such jokes and memes which are already viral on social media and people are having a whale of a time going through them.

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The handshake controversy at Sunday’s India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup has riled both Pakistan Cricket Board and its former cricketers. On Pakistani news channels, some of their former players openly abused Indian players for not shaking hands with Pakistanis after the match.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammed Yousuf went to the extent of using a cuss word against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav. He used the expletive ‘suar’ (pig). He used this word twice on a TV show, as other panellists and the anchor laughed.
Mohammed Yousuf also demanded that Pakistan Cricket Board should boycott Indian cricket commentators.
It is interesting to note that Mohammed Yousuf is a Christian turned Muslim. His original name was Yousuf Yohana and he changed it to Mohammed Yousuf after converting to Islam. Religion may be his personal choice, but fingers will be raised at him for abusing the Indian captain.
When he was a Christian, Yousuf Yohana used to complain that he faced religious discrimination inside the dressing room and his mates used to abuse him. The same man is abusing the Indian captain now.
Another former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi blamed Prime Minister Modi for what happened at the match. Afridi alleged that Modi and his party BJP had been inciting people in the name of religion and at least, Rahul Gandhi was better than Modi. Afridi alleged, Modi wants to convert India into another Israel, and so long as Modi is in power, India-Pakistan relations will never improve.
Mohammed Yousuf crossed all limits of decency and Shahid Afridi also did the same.
Afridi should ask his own government why Imran Khan, who brought laurels for Pakistan in international cricket, is rotting in jail? When will Pakistan release its most famous cricketer from jail?
Shahid Afridi should ask Army Chief Asim Munir why he sent terrorists to kill innocent Indian citizens in cold blood?
Afridi should ask Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar why he wept when his entire family was killed during Operation Sindoor? Why didn’t Masood Azhar shun terrorism?
Afridi must know, Operation Sindoor will continue so long as terrorists are given a free hand by the Pakistani rulers. He must watch the video of Jaish commander Masood Ilias Kashmiri lamenting the death of Masood Azhar’s family members in the Bahawalpur air strike.
The Jaish commander was addressing a huge rally of several thousand people. He admitted that family members of Jaish chief were blown to bits in the Indian air strike on Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur.

Shocker to Pak: America can’t be the mediator

On one hand, Pakistan’s ex-cricketers and terrorists are spewing venom, but on the other hand, Pakistan government is eager for starting talks with India. It has sought America’s help in initiating talks with India. Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar, a close associate of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, said in an interview to Al Jazeera TV channel on Tuesday that Pakistan was willing for talks, but India is unwilling.
He said, Pakistan sought US help, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clearly told him that India has told the US, Americans should stay off from this bilateral issue, because India does not want any third party mediation.
Ishaq Dar’s revelation has come at a time when Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif is preparing to go to New York to address the UN General Assembly. Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump and there are reports that Pakistan army chief Asif Munir will also be present.
Both of them are trying to their best to appease Donald Trump, because of a bi-partisan bill that has come up in the US Congress for imposing sanctions against Pakistani generals and officials for human rights violations. Asim Munir and Shahbaz Sharif are trying their best to block this sanction.
There is possibility of a US-Pak deal on giving America its share in the world’s biggest Reko Diq copper-gold mine in Baluchistan. Already, Canadian, Finnish, Japanese and American companies are trying to develop this copper and gold mine and Trump wants his cut.
President Donald Trump has himself admitted that he had offered to mediate on Kashmir issue while talking to Prime Minister Modi, who flatly refused any mediation.
Trump had then said, ‘Modi is a tough man’. Modi told him that we are capable of solving our problems, but Pakistan had been shamelessly seeking American mediation.
The Trump administration is trying to keep Pakistan in good humour. Different people are citing various reasons. Some say, Trump’s family has done a big crypto currency deal with Pakistan, while some others say, the US is eyeing Pakistan’s copper and gold mines.
Trump had claimed a few days ago that the US would explore oil in Pakistan. Some of the speculations could be true, because already there are indications of a deal between the US and Pakistan.
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