New Delhi: What Mayanti Langer and Mandira Bedi are for Indian cricket coverage, Zainab Abbas is for Pakistani cricket. Abbas is a mainstream cricket presenter who has worked with reputed broadcasters like Sky and Star. She was part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) digital team that is covering the ODI Cricket World Cup in India. On Monday, October 9, she left India after facing backlash on social media over alleged anti-India posts.
Pakistan news outlet Samaa reported that Abbas left India citing “security concerns”. The ICC, however, clarified that Abbas’s departure from India was due to “personal reasons”. ICC official C. Rajshekhar Rao confirmed this information to Arab News.
However, the 35-year-old had earlier posted on social media that she was “humbled” to join the six-week World Cup coverage programme. In the same post, she mentioned that there are “more cultural similarities than differences” between India and Pakistan.
Some media reports had suggested that her exit was related to “security concerns” following a complaint filed in Delhi by a lawyer. The complaint filed by Supreme Court lawyer Vineet Jindal October 6 accused Abbas of posting “derogatory” tweets targeting the Hindu faith, based on screenshots of posts made by an account with her name on X (formerly Twitter) in 2014.
Dated October 4, the complaint alleged that Abbas had made statements that were anti-India and Hinduphobic. Jindal reported the complaint to the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police via X, requesting the filing of a first information report (FIR) against Abbas under Sections 153A, 295, 506, 121 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 67 of the IT Act for her “derogatory remarks about Hinduism” and “anti-India statements”. Additionally, the lawyer demanded that Abbas be removed as a presenter for the World Cup.
Samaa News reported that Abbas denied the allegations and maintained that she had been unjustly targeted.
Sports and politics
Pakistani fans and journalists have been facing prolonged delays in obtaining visas to attend World Cup matches in India, which commenced last week. Even the players’ visa was granted only after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) petitioned the ICC.
Dawn reported that some Pakistan citizens who had tickets for Pakistan’s opening game against the Netherlands could not attend because of unresolved visa issues. The Indian high commission, awaiting instructions from India’s home ministry, has not yet provided a response, leaving fans anxious about attending future matches, including Pakistan’s game against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
Around 60 journalists from Pakistan are waiting to get a visa clearance from Indian authorities.
Speaking with Sportstar magazine, a PCB source said, “Till now there is no word about the visas and the World Cup has already started. This is not what we expected, but we are still hoping that the Indian government clears the visas.”
On Monday, Zaka Ashraf, the head of the PCB Interim Management Committee, met with foreign secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi to express concerns about the delayed issuance of visas for Pakistani fans and journalists who want to travel to India for the World Cup.
Reports have highlighted the contrasting policies of other sports events like the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, where measures are in place to facilitate easy entry for journalists and fans. For example, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, tournament host Russia introduced a visa-free entry policy for fans holding tickets. Journalists were promptly issued visas on the spot at Russian consular offices. Qatar also relaxed visa requirements for the World Cup it hosted last year.
Some hope remains, with speculation suggesting that a limited number of Pakistani journalists might receive visas before the much-anticipated India-Pakistan match on October 14. However, the lack of response from the Indian high commission in Pakistan has deepened concerns. Former PCB chief Ehsan Mani called for the Pakistani team’s withdrawal from the World Cup if visas are not issued to fans and journalists.