Pakistan rejects ICC’s statement alleging death of Afghan cricketers in airstrike

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Atta Tarar has rejected the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) “biased and premature” statement accusing Pakistan of involvement in the death of three Afghan cricketers, saying Islamabad itself is a major victim of cross-border terrorism.

In a strong response, Tarar said the ICC presented an unverified allegation as a fact, without providing any independent evidence or credible source to substantiate the claim.

He demanded that the ICC immediately correct its position and refrain from spreading baseless accusations.

The minister said the statement reflected clear bias and partiality, highlighting a worrying trend of exaggerating allegations without proof.

He noted that ICC Chairman Jay Shah repeated the claim on social media, and the Afghanistan Cricket Board followed with a similar baseless statement—both attempts to malign Pakistan’s image.

Atta Tarar further stated that under the current ICC leadership, controversies targeting Pakistan have been on the rise, citing the Asia Cup “handshake controversy” as an example that questioned the body’s neutrality and integrity.

He stressed that the ICC, as a global governing body, must avoid political bias, uphold the spirit of the game, and treat all member nations equally.

“Politics should not be allowed to infiltrate sports—especially cricket,” Tarar said, adding that the ICC must not allow its platform to be exploited for political gain and should refrain from presenting unverified claims as facts.