Following Pakistan’s win over India in a T20 World Cup match, Pakistani Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad called it a ‘victory for Muslim world’. He also alleged that the sympathies of the Indian Muslims lay with the Pakistan team. Rashid made these contentious remarks on Sunday (October 24) night.
“I want to congratulate the whole of Pakistan on this resounding victory (against India in T20 Qualifier match). I salute the Pakistan team for decimating its arch-rival in an exemplary display of grit, determination and courage. Pakistan has showcased its righteousness before the Muslim world. This is the only India Vs Pakistan match that I could not attend owing to Ministerial work,” he said.
Sheikh Rashid further emphasised, “I have directed the Traffic Department to remove barricades in Rawalpindi, Islamabad so that the people can celebrate. I want to again congratulate the Pakistan team and the people on this ‘final’. Yes, it was like our ‘final’ match in this edition of the T20 World Cup.”
پاکستان انڈیا میچ ٹکرا:
— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) October 24, 2021
پاکستانی کرکٹ ٹیم اور عوام کو مبارکباد پیش کرتا ہوں.https://t.co/Tc0IG0n2DJ@GovtofPakistan @ImranKhanPTI #PakvsIndia pic.twitter.com/e9RkffrK2O
The minister, visibly overjoyed after a long-awaited victory for the Pakistani team, used heavy words, equating the T20 match victory to some major national achievement. He even claimed by winning a T20 match, Pakistan has proved its capabilities in the Muslim world.
The Pakistani Interior Minister claimed that the victory of the Pakistani team in the cricket match was a victory for the entire Muslim world. “The Pakistani team had the emotional support of all Muslims of the world, including Muslims of India. This is the victory of the Muslim world. Pakistan Zindabad. Islam Zindabad,” he concluded. Pakistan chased down the target (152 runs) set by India comfortably without the loss of a single wicket.
Sheikh Rasheed thought that ‘smart bombs can kill Indian Hindus without harming Muslims’
In August 2020, in an interview with a television channel, Sheikh Rasheed had claimed that the Indian Army is far superior to the Pakistan Army in conventional warfare. Therefore, Pakistan was working on ‘miniaturised nuclear weapons’. He said that their bombs (popularly referred to as ‘bums’ in Pakistan) were so precise that they will selectively target only Hindus in India and will do no harm to Indian Muslims.
