India Vs Pakistan match: Thackeray’s Sena stages ‘Sindoor’ protest, UBT leader writes to Sony Live to stop live telecast

Amid the growing calls to boycott the India Vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025, women workers of Shiv Sena (UBT) carried out demonstrations with ‘sindoor’ while the party leader Anand Dubey wrote a letter to broadcasting Sony Pictures Private Limited seeking a halt on the live telecast match scheduled for today in Dubai.

“We request you put a complete ban on the live broadcast of India Pakistan Asia Cup match, 2025, that is to be held in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match should not be broadcast in India. We expect a speedy and positive response from you,” ANI quoted Dubey’s letter as saying.

Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), declared that women workers from the party would come to streets across Maharashtra and send sindoor from each household to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While voicing his his opposition to India playing a match against Pakistan, he accused the government of blending politics and business with patriotism.

“Our Prime Minister said blood and water cannot flow together, then how can blood and cricket flow together. How can war and cricket be at the same time?. They have done business in patriotism. The business of patriotism is only for money. They are going to play the match tomorrow also because they want all the money they will get from that match,” Thackeray said.

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the BJP over the scheduled India-Pakistan cricket match, questioning why the country is engaging in sports with a rival nation. He also urged the government to explain how the financial profits justify the loss of human lives.

He stated, “My question to the Chief Minister of Assam, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and all of them is that you don’t have the power to refuse to play a cricket match against Pakistan, which asked for the religion of our 26 citizens in Pahalgam and shot them.”

‘It becomes a compulsion’: Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur

“When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. If they don’t do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament, they will have to forfeit the match and the other team will get the points…,” Thakur explained.

“But India doesn’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision for years that India won’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorist attacks on India,” he added.