Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 12 : Sanjay Dwivedi, the father of Pahalgam terror attack victim Shubham Dwivedi, on Friday opposed the upcoming India vs Pakistan clash in the ongoing T20 Asia Cup on September 14 in Dubai, stating he is against this and urged the Centre to take action in this matter.
He also recalled the Indian government's previous stance of severing ties with Pakistan and emphasised the widespread public sentiment against any form of relations, including sports, with Pakistan.
The outrage over India squaring off against their arch-rival in the tournament stems from the anger against the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, in which 26 tourists were killed on April 22 by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
"On 22nd April 2025, Pakistan killed 26 innocent people of our country. The government of India had said that it would have no relations with Pakistan and that blood and water cannot flow together. Since the day I got to know (about the India vs Pakistan match), not just me but the entire country has been opposing it and saying that there should be no relations, political or in the sports field, with Pakistan. I oppose this and urge the government to take action in this matter, keeping the public sentiment in mind," Sanjay Dwivedi told ANI.
In August, the central government revised a policy to tackle Indian athletes competing against Pakistani athletes in sports events. According to the policy, India will be allowed to participate in multinational events but will continue to refrain from participating in bilateral competitions.
India posted a commanding victory by nine wickets in their Asia Cup opener against the UAE on Wednesday. After the fixture against Pakistan, India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai.
If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26.
Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.