CM Abdullah slams removal of Bangladesh's 'Fizz' from IPL

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday questioned the removal of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, asking whether forcing out an individual player would improve the situation in Bangladesh or strengthen India-Bangladesh relations.

He warned that the move could instead further deepen mistrust instead of helping improve the situation for the minorities in the neighbouring country.

Bangladeshi pacer Rahman has been released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders after being instructed to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amidst heightening diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

“What is the fault of that poor player? I agree that our relations with Pakistan are very bad. What did the people of Bangladesh do to us? All our relations with the people of Bangladesh were good. They are still good. Bangladesh did not spread terrorism in our country. They did not destroy us. We had close relations. Now that player has been sent out,” the chief minister told reporters on the sidelines of an official meeting here.

He said the move is affecting the upcoming T20 World Cup being hosted by India and Sri Lanka. “The people of Bangladesh say that they will not come to India and play. They say that their match will be held somewhere else.”

Suggesting that sports and politics should be dealt with separately, Abdullah said the government should have done the same thing that US President Donald Trump did in Venezuela if they wanted to protest against the emerging situation there.

“What is the fault of this player? He was ready to play. His team did not want to remove him, which is evident from its statement. They were forced to remove him. Neither did this player want to go, nor did his team want to send him back.

“Pressure came from above and they removed him. Why? Will the situation in Bangladesh be better by removing him? Will our relations with that country be better? They will not be. On the contrary, they will get worse. So what has changed?” the chief minister asked.