Uddhav Slams India-Pak Cricket Match, Sena (UBT) Plans Sindoor Protests

Rapid Summary

• Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray criticized playing an Asia Cup cricket match with Pakistan, calling it an insult to national sentiments.
• He stated this during a press conference in Mumbai on September 13, 2025, adn referenced Indian soldiers sacrificing lives at borders.
• thackeray appealed to “patriots” not to watch the match and announced ‘sindoor’ protests across Maharashtra where women workers will send vermilion to the Prime Minister’s Office.
• He questioned whether Operation Sindoor-launched after the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians-had been halted.
• drawing comparisons with historic boycotts like the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Moscow Olympics in protest over Afghanistan, he argued India should take a similar stand against Pakistan due to its alleged sponsorship of terrorism.

Indian Opinion Analysis
Uddhav Thackeray’s comments highlight persistent domestic concerns regarding India’s relations with Pakistan amidst ongoing border tensions and allegations of cross-border terrorism. Though criticism of scheduling high-profile matches against Pakistan is not new in Indian politics, his stance aligns closely with past positions taken by his party leadership in discouraging normalization outside resolution of security issues. This rhetoric may influence public sentiment ahead of key events but could also be seen as conflating sports diplomacy with broader geopolitical challenges unnecessarily.

The invocation of Operation sindoor underscores lingering frustrations about maintaining consistent policy on counter-terrorism while engaging Pakistan economically or socially through sports interactions-the latter frequently enough categorized as a soft-power approach globally yet routinely critiqued domestically for undermining sacrifices at borders.

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