ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday strongly condemned the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) recent statements, calling them selective, biased, and premature, while warning that such narratives risk politicising cricket and undermining trust in global governance of the game.

Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, in a post on X, rejected the ICC’s “disputed allegation” that three Afghan cricketers died in an airstrike, saying no independent verification had been cited. He criticised the “echo chamber” created by ICC Chair Jay Shah’s endorsement and the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s follow-up statement.

Tarar said the incident fits a troubling pattern of controversies targeting Pakistan, including the recent “handshake row” during the Asia Cup. He stressed that politics must not contaminate the sport and urged the ICC to restore neutrality and even-handed conduct.

Precision Strikes & Border Tensions

Separately, Tarar confirmed Pakistan’s precision strikes on the proscribed Gul Bahadur group in border areas of North and South Waziristan, killing 60–70 militants including senior commanders. He added that during a 48-hour ceasefire, militants attempted multiple terrorist attacks, all of which were foiled, with over 100 Khawarij fighters eliminated.

The information minister also refuted allegations of civilian casualties, calling them “baseless” and part of a campaign to draw sympathy for terrorist groups.

Ceasefire With Afghanistan

Later on Saturday, Qatar announced that Pakistan and Afghanistan had reached a landmark ceasefire agreement, mediated by Qatar and Turkiye. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed the development, expressing hope the truce would end border tensions and establish a permanent peace mechanism between the two neighbours.