Web desk: Pakistan has strongly rejected the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) statement regarding the alleged deaths of three Afghan cricketers in an airstrike, calling it selective, biased, and premature.
In a statement, the Information Minister said Pakistan, itself a major victim of cross-border terrorism, rejects the ICC’s characterisation and demands an immediate correction.
The minister stated that the ICC provided no independent verification to support its claim.
Pakistan noted a troubling pattern of spreading unverified information. Within hours of the ICC’s release, its Chair, Jay Shah, repeated the claim on X. At the same time, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) issued a statement echoing the same allegation without providing any proof.
The statement added, “We also note a troubling pattern of amplification without any attempts at evidence gathering. Within hours of the ICC release, its Chair, Jay Shah, publicly echoed the same claim on X, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) then posted a statement on the same lines, explicitly invoking the ICC’s claim rather than providing details or proof. This sequencing is an attempt at manufacturing an ostensible echo chamber.”
Officials have stated that this appeared to be a coordinated attempt to create an echo chamber.
ICC’s Neutrality
The statement also pointed to a series of recent controversies under the current ICC leadership that have targeted Pakistan cricket, including the “handshake controversy” that delayed a Pakistan Asia Cup match.
Such incidents, it said, have damaged trust in the ICC’s neutrality.
Pakistan reiterated that politics should not interfere in sports. It urged the ICC to act independently, verify facts before issuing statements, and maintain even-handed standards regardless of nationality.
The statement concluded, ” The ICC should abstain from definitive attributions, avoid certifying unverified claims on the behest of others, refrain from allowing certain actors to draw political mileage, and uphold even-handed standards irrespective of the nationality of office-bearers. Pakistan expects the ICC, led by its current Chair, who happens to belong to India, to restore its neutrality, international standards of fair play and unbiased conduct and address the potential precedent, perhaps a global first, that embroils a sport regulator in narratives linked to violent extremists.”
The minister said Pakistan expects the ICC, led by its current Chair from India, to restore neutrality and uphold international standards of fair play, avoiding actions that could politicise cricket or aid extremist narratives.
Pakistan, a prime victim of cross-border terrorism, rejects the ICC’s selective, biased and premature comment that advances a disputed allegation, as established, that three “Afghan cricketers” died in an “airstrike”. The ICC has cited no independent verification to substantiate…
— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) October 18, 2025
