LAHORE: Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has urged India not to politicise sports by repeatedly refusing to send its cricket team to Pakistan.

Reacting to New Delhi’s refusal to allow the Indian cricket team to join the Champions Trophy to be played in Pakistan, he urged Indian authorities to let cricket remain confined to cricket grounds, rather than sacrificing the sport at the altar of politics or stubbornness.

“The world is changing fast, and the Indian government should also change its behaviour. Leadership of both states should come forward to save cricket from political pollution,” he said.

Mr Ashraf, who is also Punjab PPP president, said that by sending its cricket team to Pakistan, New Delhi should send a positive message to the cricket world and advance the spirit shown by the Indian foreign minister’s participation in the SCO conference held in Islamabad.

Meanwhile, PPP General Secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza has criticised the government for not inviting representatives of farmers to the meeting held to decide the sugarcane price.

He alleged that the step exposed the nexus between the sugar mills mafia and the government.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024