Veteran cricketer Harbhajan Singh feels Team India should boycott Pakistan in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 in the wake of the dastardly Pulwama terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
“India should not play Pakistan in the World Cup. India are powerful enough to win the World Cup without having to play Pakistan,” Harbhajan Singh told Aaj Tak. “This is a difficult time. The attack that has happened, it was unbelievable and it’s very wrong. Strict action will surely be taken by the government. When it comes to cricket, I don’t think we should have any relations with them otherwise they will keep treating us like this.”
The celebrated off-spinner also insisted that India should sever all relations with Pakistan, saying the entire country should stand by the martyred soldiers.
“I don’t think we need to have any relations with Pakistan or play any cricket with them,” he said. “I don’t think India should play the World Cup match against Pakistan. Country comes first and we are all standing behind our country. Cricket or hockey or sports, it should be kept aside because this is a huge thing and repeatedly our soldiers are killed. We should stand with our country. Cricket or hockey or any sport, we don’t need to play with them,” Harbhajan Singh added.
Other than the group stage match in Manchester on June 16, India and Pakistan could also meet in the semi-finals or finals of the World Cup if both teams qualify.
When Harbhajan Singh was asked what would happen if both the teams face each other in the knock-out round, Bhaji said, “We are too small to discuss what needs to be done – there are big people sitting in power who can take a call,” before adding, “What happens if we have to play Pakistan in the semi-final or final? There’s plenty of time for June-July. The people in power will need what to do. But nobody can harm India. What happened in Pulwama is tragic. We are safe today only because of our defence forces.”
“We should not keep any kind of ties with Pakistan: we are powerful enough to feed the world on our own. Cricket, sports is not as important. We stand with every member of the defence force. Their sacrifices should no go to waste,” Harbhajan concluded.