Pak cricket team tour is a matter of national shame: Bal Thackeray

Mumbai: Maintaining his strong opposition to the tour by the Pakistani cricket team to India, Shiv Sena on Thursday said it was a matter of "national shame". "The Pakistan team will be playing matches at Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bengaluru. At one point or the other, Pak terrorists have attacked these cities," Thackeray said.

The feet of Pakistani players won't touch Maharashtra but their tour of these cities is a matter of national shame, he said, in an editorial in party mouthpiece "Saamana" in Mumbai. Thackeray also flayed BCCI, saying "it was betraying the country for sake of money" and our cricketers were part of the betrayal.

Referring to Pakistan's role in 26/11 and Parliament attacks, Thackeray said playing against Pakistani cricketers is an insult to our martyred jawans. Thackeray also criticised Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, saying he had "offered his services to Pakistan" by giving green signal for the Pak tour to India. "Except for Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, no one opposed playing cricket with Pakistan," he said.

Bal Thackeray said that Pakistan was behind the 26/11, Parliament attacks and other terror strikes in India.

The Home Ministry on October 30 had cleared Pakistan cricket team's tour of India for a limited-over series beginning December 25. The Raj Thackeray-led MNS has also opposed the Pak cricket tour.

"Raj saheb had already declared that we will not allow any India-Pak match in Maharashtra," MNS MLA Shishir Shinde said. In October 1991, Shinde, who was then with Shiv Sena, had dug up the pitch at Wankhede stadium to protest against an India-Pak match which was scheduled to be held.

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