Omar Abdullah Backs India–Pakistan Asia Cup Match, Calls Sport a “Victim of Politics”

By A Staff Reporter

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday weighed in on the debate over India’s participation in the upcoming Asia Cup match against Pakistan, distinguishing between bilateral series and multilateral tournaments.

Addressing reporters, Abdullah said, “Our problem has always been with bilateral matches, I don’t think we ever had problems with multilateral tournaments. This game is part of a tournament. If things can move in a positive direction, there is nothing like it.”

He further observed that cricket in South Asia often gets entangled with political tensions. “More often than not, sport becomes a victim of politics — nowhere is this truer than cricket in the subcontinent,” he remarked.

At the same time, Abdullah highlighted the lived reality of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir over the past three decades. “My part of the country has been a direct victim of terrorism for the last 30–35 years, and you cannot just wish that away,” he added.