India should not play cricket with Pak: Arvind Sawant, Owaisi in Lok Sabha
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI): India should refrain from playing cricket with Pakistan in view of the ongoing tension with the neighbouring country, Arvind Sawant (SS-UBT) and Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) said on Monday in the Lok Sabha.
The statements by the two MPs assume significance amid the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The tournament sees India and Pakistan once again drawn in the same group.
Participating in the special debate on Pahalgam terror strikes and Operation Sindoor, Sawant wondered why India stopped the war with Pakistan without imposing any conditions when the neighbouring country was on its knees begging for a ceasefire.
"If India were in the vantage position, then what stopped the country from reclaiming Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)," he said, adding this was the opportune time to teach Pakistan a lesson like what India Gandhi had done during the 1971 war.
Making an appeal, he said it would be inappropriate for India to play cricket with Pakistan which has wounded India many times.
The Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format, acting as a precursor to the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Expressing anguish, Sawant said not a single nation stood behind India when Operation Sindoor was carried out while China and Turkiye backed Pakistan.
Despite India's resistance, he said, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a loan to the debt-ridden neighbouring country.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also objected to playing cricket with Pakistan in view of the situation.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that blood and water cannot flow together, and terrorism and dialogue cannot be together.
"So my question to the prime minister and the government through you is that when Pakistan's aircraft cannot come into our airspace, their boat cannot come into our water, trade has ended, how will you play a cricket match with Pakistan? When we are not giving water, we are stopping 80 per cent of Pakistan's water... saying that blood and water will not flow, you will play a cricket match.
"My conscience does not allow me to watch that match. Does this government have the courage to call those 25 dead people and say that we took revenge in Operation Sindoor and now you watch the Pakistan match? It is very sad," he said.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
