Tarar says cricket governing body must remain impartial and avoid political entanglements
Minister of Information, Attaullah Tarar. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
Information Minister Atta Tarar has categorically rejected the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) “selective, biased and premature” statement on the deaths of three Afghan cricketers, which claimed that they were killed in an “airstrike in Paktika”.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board, in a statement, said three local cricketers were killed in a military attack in Paktika province and announced their withdrawal from next month’s tri-nation series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Later, in a statement, the ICC condemned the attack and said it stands in solidarity with the ACB and shares its pain. “The ICC is deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic death of three promising young Afghan cricketers, Kabeer Agha, Sibghatullah and Haroon, who lost their lives in a recent airstrike in Afghanistan’s Paktika province,” the world cricket governing body said in a statement.
Read more: Three Afghan cricketers killed in attack: cricket board
“The ICC strongly condemns this act of violence that has devastated families, communities and the cricket world of three brilliant talents whose only ambition was to play the sport they loved.”
The unilateral and unsubstantiated statement prompted the Information Minister to issue a response, calling it a “selective, biased and premature” comment that promotes a controversial accusation.
Pakistan, a major victim of cross-border terrorism, rejects the ICC’s selective, biased and premature comment making a controversial allegation, as established, that three “Afghan cricketers” were killed in an “airstrike”. The ICC has not cited any independent verification to substantiate…
– Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) October 18, 2025
“Pakistan, one of the main victims of cross-border terrorism, rejects the ICC’s comment presenting a controversial allegation,” Tarar said in a post on X.
He said the ICC has not cited any independent verification to substantiate these claims and said Pakistan strongly rejects the characterization, disputes the ICC’s claim and calls for an immediate correction.
He added that the ICC’s handling of the matter reflected a broader pattern of “amplification without evidence” and “narrative manipulation.”
Read also: Dozens killed in ‘precision strikes’ in ‘Kharji Gul Bahadur camps in Paktika’: officials
“We observed a concerning pattern of amplification without any attempt at evidence collection,” he said. “Within hours of the ICC’s release, its president, Jay Shah, publicly echoed the same claim about
The minister also addressed what he described as attempts by India to influence the administration of cricket, citing previous controversies involving Pakistan.
“This episode follows a pattern of avoidable controversies under the current leadership of the ICC that have attempted to disproportionately affect Pakistan cricket, including the recent ‘handshake controversy’ that delayed Pakistan’s Asia Cup match until a resolution was found,” Tarar said, adding: “These incidents have eroded confidence in the neutrality of the ICC”.
He stressed that the ICC must maintain impartiality and refrain from political entanglements. “A global regulator should not be seen as promoting any biased narrative,” he said. “Pakistan has consistently maintained that politics should not contaminate sport, especially cricket, and urges the ICC to uphold its independence and the spirit of the game.”
The minister concluded by saying that Pakistan expected the ICC to “reestablish its neutrality, its international standards of fair play and its impartial conduct, and address the dangerous precedent of involving a global sports regulator in narratives linked to violent extremists.”
