ICC relieved as safe return of IAF WC Abhinandan from Pakistan de-escalates tensions between India and Pakistan

The whole of India was elated with the safe return of Indian Air Forces’ Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman from the clutches of Pakistan. WC Abhinandan was captured by Pakistani forces after he had crossed the LOC while shooting down a PAF F-16 and then being forced to eject from his MIG 21 Bison aircraft in Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

This escalated tensions between the neighbours India and Pakistan, putting even the International Cricket Council (ICC) on standby. Ever since the Pulwama terrorist attacks, the whole of the Indian nation has been clamouring for a boycott of Pakistan at international level on every front, including calls of a boycott of Pakistan in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.

BCCI wanted ICC to oust Pakistan from World Cup

The CoA chief Vinod Rai had even asked the BCCI acting President to write to ICC and ask them to remove Pakistan, who have won the World Cup once in 1992, from the upcoming edition. This stance was clear after 44 CRPF personnel were martyred in a suicide bombing incident carried out by Pakistan based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed.

In response, Indian Air Force carried out strikes in PoK, destroying the terror outfit’s base camp in Balakot region and killing quite a few terrorists and their trainers active in the place, as a squadron of Indian Mirage 2000s along with Su 30 crossed the LOC to give a fitting reply to the terrorists residing in Pakistan.

ICC’s real worry

Pakistan was embarrassed on the world stage after the Indian Air Force’s operation in Balakot region and retaliated by sending two F-16s, who tried to cross into Kashmir, but Indian Air Force halted them in even before they crossed the LOC. WC Abhinandan was captured in the skirmish and was assaulted by the Pakistani locals and army before being taken into custody.

This further escalated tensions between the two nations and ICC was worried about BCCI announcing their boycott of the Pakistan match on June 16 in Manchester. There was also another question of the two teams meeting either in one of the semi-finals or the final?

Relief for ICC

After 60 hours of intense drama, Imran Khan announced that the Wing Commander was being released by Pakistan as a gesture of peace. This announcement put the world and ICC at ease, as WC Abhinandan returned home via the Attari-Wagah border on Saturday at 9 pm.

The ICC called Imran’s announcement a call of relief and a senior official said that it has cooled things a lot. Another senior official, on condition of anonymity, said, “I must, however, point out that those representing the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been most civilized in their interactions… So far, for sure… We hope this calm conduct continues at the Executive Board meeting too, when the BCCI’s Amitabh Choudhary may seek more assurances on security. Ehsan Mani, the PCB chairman, has himself headed the ICC and, so, nothing should get out of hand.”

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