'Hit where we hold the cards': After Pahalgam, X user urges no IPL for foreign PSL players, ICC freeze on Pakistan
Tuesday's massacre at Pahalgam, a key tourist location in South Kashmir, has triggered a wider rethink across political, diplomatic, and public spheres.
- Apr 23, 2025,
- Updated Apr 23, 2025 4:19 PM IST
Calls for punitive action against Pakistan are intensifying after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with one viral social media post urging India to strike back where it hurts most: cricket. "Let’s first hit our neighbour (Pakistan) where we hold all the cards and China isn’t a problem. Cricket," a social media user wrote on X. "Pass a law saying no foreign player who plays PSL will be allowed in IPL. Ever. Tell all your franchises never to pick Pakistani players in their global teams. And Pakistan isn’t allowed in ICC events. Ever. They can play within themselves for all we care."
The statement comes amid renewed scrutiny of Pakistan's role in harboring terror groups.
On Tuesday, hours after the attack, former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal proposed a geopolitical counter. "It is time to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty indefinitely as a truly meaningful response to the latest terrorist outrage in Pahalgam instigated by Pakistan,” he posted on X. “We have earlier said that blood and water can’t go together. Let’s act on our own declared position. This will be a strategic response.”
Sibal noted that the timing of the attack—coinciding with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance — places India in a diplomatically advantageous position. “Trump and Vance have strong views on Islamic extremism and terrorism. This step will send a salutary message to Bangladesh too.”
Author and strategic affairs analyst Zorawar Daulet Singh stressed that India currently has a rare opportunity to act. “With the LAC in the north as stable as it’s been in years, India has a window for a carefully considered counter terror campaign through a series of operations aimed not at symbolism for the Indian people but in pursuit of clear objectives regarding safe havens, infiltration routes as well as decisively neutralizing local collaborators in Kashmir,” he suggested.
Geostrategist Brahma Chellany added that India's long-standing pattern of post-attack rhetoric without follow-through must end. “Without imposing sustained costs on a state sponsoring transborder terror, counterterrorism can never be effective. India’s rhetoric under successive governments has rarely translated into concrete action. If a nation likes to play victim, it will be condemned to remain a victim.”
Tuesday's massacre at Pahalgam, a key tourist location in South Kashmir, has triggered a wider rethink across political, diplomatic, and public spheres. The attackers killed 26, injured several others, and struck while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a diplomatic trip to Saudi Arabia. Modi cut his visit short and returned Wednesday morning. He vowed justice, stating that the perpetrators "will not be spared."
Calls for punitive action against Pakistan are intensifying after the deadly Pahalgam terror attack, with one viral social media post urging India to strike back where it hurts most: cricket. "Let’s first hit our neighbour (Pakistan) where we hold all the cards and China isn’t a problem. Cricket," a social media user wrote on X. "Pass a law saying no foreign player who plays PSL will be allowed in IPL. Ever. Tell all your franchises never to pick Pakistani players in their global teams. And Pakistan isn’t allowed in ICC events. Ever. They can play within themselves for all we care."
The statement comes amid renewed scrutiny of Pakistan's role in harboring terror groups.
On Tuesday, hours after the attack, former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal proposed a geopolitical counter. "It is time to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty indefinitely as a truly meaningful response to the latest terrorist outrage in Pahalgam instigated by Pakistan,” he posted on X. “We have earlier said that blood and water can’t go together. Let’s act on our own declared position. This will be a strategic response.”
Sibal noted that the timing of the attack—coinciding with the visit of US Vice President JD Vance — places India in a diplomatically advantageous position. “Trump and Vance have strong views on Islamic extremism and terrorism. This step will send a salutary message to Bangladesh too.”
Author and strategic affairs analyst Zorawar Daulet Singh stressed that India currently has a rare opportunity to act. “With the LAC in the north as stable as it’s been in years, India has a window for a carefully considered counter terror campaign through a series of operations aimed not at symbolism for the Indian people but in pursuit of clear objectives regarding safe havens, infiltration routes as well as decisively neutralizing local collaborators in Kashmir,” he suggested.
Geostrategist Brahma Chellany added that India's long-standing pattern of post-attack rhetoric without follow-through must end. “Without imposing sustained costs on a state sponsoring transborder terror, counterterrorism can never be effective. India’s rhetoric under successive governments has rarely translated into concrete action. If a nation likes to play victim, it will be condemned to remain a victim.”
Tuesday's massacre at Pahalgam, a key tourist location in South Kashmir, has triggered a wider rethink across political, diplomatic, and public spheres. The attackers killed 26, injured several others, and struck while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a diplomatic trip to Saudi Arabia. Modi cut his visit short and returned Wednesday morning. He vowed justice, stating that the perpetrators "will not be spared."