Pahalgam To Asia Cup: Why India Must Stop Treating Pakistan As A Civilised Nation | Jagran Opinion

On April 22, 2025, Pakistani terrorists infiltrated a tourist spot in Pahalgam in Kashmir, stripped men to ascertain whether they were Muslims or not and gunned down all 26 non-Muslims. This shameless and barbaric act has been hailed by most Pakistanis, who are steeped in jealousy and hatred towards the Hindus. Unable to extricate themselves from their miserable, beggarly existence, they have en masse turned foul-tongued and abusive, and this includes not just the unwashed, dejected and unlettered but also television anchors, military generals and cricketers.

Their uncouth behaviour touched such a low level recently that a former Pakistani cricketer, Mohammad Yousuf, called the Indian T20 Team captain Surya Kumar Yadav "Soovar Kumar Yadav" several times during a television interview. The anchor and other guests laughed, as if it were a joke, and nobody objected – indicating that they too share this opinion.

Only an individual who shares the traits of that animal would shower such abuse on another person. What does this say about this nation called Pakistan? Given the venom that is directed at India and Indians by the Pakistanis, one is inclined to believe that Pakistan is now a nation of non-humans. But, before we return to the current level of vulgarity after the Pakistani cricket team was thrashed three times by the Indians in the Asia Cup, just look at the history of the last century.

The Muslims claimed that they were a separate nation and demanded the division of India and the creation of an Islamic State called Pakistan in the 1940s. But, even the division of Bharat did not satisfy them or their hegemonistic designs. Since 1947, Pakistan has been sending in terrorists for close to 80 years. In the meantime, it has waged four wars against India and has suffered a bloody nose each time.

In 1965, they begged for the return of Haji Pir Pass at Tashkent; in 1971, as many as 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered to Indian forces in Dacca – the biggest and most shameful surrender of an army after World War II. In Shimla, Butto begged for the return of these soldiers and some other lost territories.

Equally shameful was what happened in 1999 when they sent infiltrators into Kargil. The Indian army took grave risks and, with acts of bravery, shot down the infiltrators. However, this nation of non-humans refused to accept the bodies of its dead soldiers.

The story of 2025 is no different. After Pahalgam, Prime Minister Modi decided that enough was enough, and to teach Pakistan a lesson, he sent in the Indian Air Force to destroy terror camps deep inside Pakistan territory. India launched Operation Sindoor with missile strikes on terrorist infrastructure facilities of Pakistani militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Thereafter Indian Air Force also wrecked some air bases and Pakistani air strips, including Rafiqui, Chaklala in Rawalpindi, Rahman Yar Khan, Muridke, Sukur and Nur Khan air bases. Pakistan immediately sought a ceasefire. Yet, the bluff and bluster of Pakistanis continues.

Khawaja Asif, the Pakistani Defence Minister, has shamelessly claimed that the Pahalgam attack was engineered by “homegrown” militants and that Pakistanis were not involved. Pakistan has been consistently dishonest about its sustained support for cross-border terrorism. So much so that they even denied that Ajmal Kasab, the terrorist who was nabbed alive after the horrendous attack on Mumbai in November 2008, was a Pakistani. Later, when Kasab confessed to his links with LET, Pakistan had to reluctantly concede that he was indeed a citizen of that country.

In April, "Field Marshal" Asim Munir, who heads the Pakistan army, provided us fresh evidence that across the border, we are not dealing with human beings at all. He had said, "We are different from the Hindus. We are different from Hindus in every possible aspect of life. Our traditions are different, our customs are different, our thoughts are different. We must teach this to our children."

Simultaneously, Pakistan’s minister Hanif Abbasi publicly declared that Pakistan had 130 nuclear warheads clearly marked for India. Also, it had the Ghori, Shaheen, and Ghaznavi missiles. No human being who is aware of the consequences of a nuclear war will speak in these terms.

Now cut to the Asia Cup.

Given these developments, Indians do not wish to have anything to do with this uncouth neighbour, but international sports is a different ball game. The question is whether India should boycott all tournaments played by Pakistan and thus exclude itself from the entire gamut of sporting events across the world, or should it adopt a more pragmatic approach.

Eventually, the union government and the cricketing federation have chosen a via media – that is to play the game but to avoid physical contact with players of this non-human nation. That is why the Indian captain Surya Kumar Yadav refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart after the toss in the first game they played, and in the subsequent games. The customary pleasantries after the game have also been avoided.

Meanwhile, after their third and final defeat at the hands of India on September 28, Pakistani cricket fans were seen going berserk, smashing TV sets, breaking crockery and even smashing their heads. Their venomous abuses against Indian cricketers also continued hand-in-hand.

The post-match comments reflect that this was not just a game of cricket. Prime Minister Narendra Modi set the record straight. While congratulating the Indian team, he said, "Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers." Captain Surya Kumar Yadav responded by saying, "It feels good when the country’s leader himself bats on the front foot. We will get more inspiration and motivation to do well."

Meanwhile, Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistani Minister and the President of the Asian Cricket Council, shamelessly ran away with the Asia Cup and the medals when the Indian boys refused to accept the trophy from him.

Having decided to participate in the tournament, this became a battle for the honour of the country after the shameless assault on non-Muslim Indian citizens by the Pakistani terrorists in Pahalgam last April. This victory was necessary to avenge Pahalgam. That is why Captain Surya Kumar Yadav has rightly donated his entire Asia Cup 2025 match fees to the Indian Armed Forces.

India must reorder its equations with this wretched neighbour. After the "Soovar" slur, it must treat Pakistan as a nation of non-humans! India should never repeat its magnanimity of 1965 and 1971. Only then will we be able to cope with what lies across the border.

(Disclaimer: The author, A Surya Prakash, is an expert on democratic affairs and a senior columnist. Views expressed are personal.)