Others oppose Pakistan tie at Dharamsala
Shimla : Indian cricket board secretary Anurag Thakur stated on Wednesday that politics should be kept away from sports, but Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh reiterated his concern over ‘security’ as opinion of families of martyred soldiers in the state is against holding the India-Pakistan World Twenty20 tie at Dharamsala.
“It’s a world event and not a bilateral series,” Thakur, who is also the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association president and a Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian from the state, told reporters here.
State leaders from both the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are united in their opposition to the Super 10 Group 2 match between India and Pakistan being hosted at Dharamsala on March 19, keeping in mind the local sentiments against Pakistan.
“I will go to any extent to request anyone with folded hands in the interest of Himachal Pradesh,” Thakur said, seemingly making it an issue between him and others. He called upon all stakeholders to rise above petty politics in the interest of the nation and not to oppose the match at Dharamsala. “Even if they are against the HPCA, they should forget it for the time being. Court cases are pending, inquiries are pending, I’m ready to step down, but please don’t let the state suffer,” Thakur said.
Thakur, met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Wednesday over the India-Pakistan World T20 tie, and is learnt to have informed the chief minister that the match was fixed long ago and that it would not be in the interest of the state if it is called off. The chief minister purportedly asked Thakur to sort out the issue with the families of the martyrs and ex-servicemen, who have strongly opposed it. “The public opinion is against the match. Our ex-servicemen are respected people. It would be fair for the BCCI to talk to the ex-servicemen first,” the chief minister told reporters.
