Bhubaneswar: Priyadarshini, widow of a victim in the Pahalgam terror attack, has passionately called for a boycott of the upcoming India-Pakistan Asia Cup match, criticising the BCCI’s decision and the silence of Indian cricketers.
A resident of Balasore district in Odisha, she slammed the organisers and urged fans to abstain from watching the game, fearing that revenue generated from it will fund terrorism.
Priyadarshini, who lost her husband Prasant Kumar Satpathy in the deadly Pahalgam terror attack in April this year, showed the anger families of the victims have over the India-Pakistan cricket match.
The two teams are set to face each other today at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the ongoing Asia Cup. Family members of the victims, however, have criticised the government for allowing the contest, stating that they are really disturbed by the decision.
Priyadarshini told reporters that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should have taken appropriate steps for the cancellation of the match with Pakistan as the event will provide them with revenue and prepare them to attack once again.
The India-Pakistan game in Dubai on Sunday will be the first since the Pahalgam attack and carries added political weight.
Expressing her anguish, Priyadarshini said that the Operation Sindoor seemed to have gone waste now. “We are very disturbed. No sort of connection should remain with Pakistan. It is like rubbing salt into the wound,” she said.
The anger over India playing Pakistan in the tournament stems from terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22, that claimed the lives of 26 tourists.. India responded with Operation Sindoor, a precision strike in May 2025 on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.