The trending hashtag on social media before the India vs. Pakistan World Cup match is “boycott.” Why Is This
On Saturday, India and Pakistan will play in the Cricket World Cup of 2023.
Prior to India’s highly anticipated matchup with Pakistan on Saturday, supporters have threatened to abstain from the game on social media because of Pakistan’s role in terrorism. This has reignited the ‘Boycott’ movement and sparked a discussion about whether or not politics and international relations should be kept apart from sports. A battle with terrorists in the Kokernag area of Kashmir’s Anantnag district earlier on September 13 claimed the lives of an Indian Army Colonel leading a Rashtriya Rifles Unit, a Major, and a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Following this encounter, images and videos of Pakistani players being greeted warmly during their World Cup matches in India went viral. Many people questioned why Pakistani players were treated this way when Pakistan’s actions continue to result in terrorist attacks that cause death and property damage in India, particularly to soldiers, security, and police forces.
Many supporters were incensed when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Bollywood singers Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, and Sukhwinder Singh will be performing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad before to the match. It is noteworthy that the ICC Cricket World Cup, which is being hosted in India for the first time ever, did not have an opening ceremony.
Furthermore, since 2013, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series, and India’s most recent visit to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup. India has only faced Pakistan in ICC competitions since 2013. These competitions include the T20 World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, the ICC Cricket World Cup, and the Asia Cup, an ACC/Asian Cricket Council competition.
Many social media users expressed their displeasure and threatened to boycott both the event and the match after it was revealed that Pakistani players would be accorded warm receptions and that a pre-match show would take place in Ahmedabad ahead of the IND-PAK match.
“We will not put up with anything that BCCI and Jay Shah have done to harm the reputation of the Pakistani team. On the border, our forces are valiantly battling militants who are sponsored by Pakistan. A user wrote, “#BoycottIndoPakMatch #BoycottIndoPakMatch.”
