Committee of Administrators (CoA) chief Vinod Rai On Sunday said that the sporting community “needs to ostracise Pakistan” just like South Africa was banned from international cricket due to the country’s policy on apartheid. There has been a growing demand that India boycott their clash against Pakistan during the World Cup, which starts on May 30 in England and Wales, as a mark of protest against the Pulwama terror attack in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed and was claimed by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.
The BCCI has already written a letter to the ICC urging “all nations to sever ties with countries from which terrorism emanates”.
“We would be shooting in the foot if we don’t play Pakistan in the World Cup. Our aim should be to ostracise Pakistan as a cricketing nation,” Rai said.
“As I have said earlier, all cricketing nations should sever ties with them,” Rai said.
He cited the example of South Africa, which was banned for 21 years from 1970 till 1991 due to the apartheid when black South Africans were racially discriminated.
“I believe something similar needs to be done with Pakistan. They should be banned from all sporting activities just like it happened with South Africa,” Rai said.
Skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri have maintained that they will “abide by whatever decision government takes.”
