India suffered heavy losses in this conflict, but our nation came together
12 May, 2025
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PHOTO: AP
As a child, you must have read the saying: “He who digs a pit for others often falls into it himself.” Apparently, this isn’t taught in India, which is likely why they made such a poor move. Our Pakistan Super League (PSL) was progressing smoothly, but India deliberately targeted the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium with a drone, intending to dampen Pakistan’s celebrations. Even in a war-like atmosphere, thousands of spectators were enjoying cricket without fear just a day before. This normalcy is what upset India—they thought targeting cricket would make a big impact. Indians celebrated this move, believing they had achieved something major.
However, Pakistan did not retaliate with drones or any aggression. Still, the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to a sudden halt. Only 10.1 overs had been played when the lights were abruptly turned off and the stadium evacuated. Players, still in their kits, barely managed to reach their hotel aboard each other team buses. Due to closed airspace, they had to take train from Dharamshala to other city. Many players didn’t even wait for free Air tickets from franchise and booked return flights on their own. Thus, without Pakistan doing anything, just fear alone caused the world’s biggest league to come to a standstill. Players were crying in fear—you might’ve seen the video of a cheerleader, terrified.
In Pakistan, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi wisely assured all foreign cricketers that the entire tournament could be moved to Karachi, Dubai, or Doha if needed. While we have full confidence in our security arrangements, their peace of mind is important to us. Franchise owners also supported the idea of postponing the event for the country’s sake. Around 1:15 a.m., a high-ranking board official called me and inquired about IPL future’s media reports. I told him that the league might be suspended by morning. Later that night, PCB announced that PSL would be moved to the UAE. The next morning, IPL was suspended for a week.
Pakistan then safely sent foreign cricketers and officials to Dubai on a special flight, after that giving India a powerful response that the whole world witnessed. Far-sighted U.S. President Mr Donald Trump stepped in to mediate a ceasefire—an excellent move. Conditions are now returning to normal. PSL matches will soon resume, and the foreign players already in Dubai could be called back. This is the 10th edition of the PSL, and several key matters like valuation and new contracts must be addressed, so the event can’t be left incomplete. Remaining matches should be held with whatever foreign players are available.
Regarding the Bangladesh series, reports suggest it will proceed as scheduled, so our stadiums will stay active. India has received a strong response; earlier, it seemed they assumed Pakistan wouldn’t retaliate, but that illusion has now been shattered. Within a few hours, the truth hit them hard.
Indians are already registering movies and web series under names Like “Operation Sindoor.” Actors like Akshay Kumar will now use VFX to create fake stories of attacking Pakistan, which their people will watch and applaud. Those shouting for war in India must’ve realized what true fear feels like when drones hovered over their heads and their defense systems failed. You criticize Pakistani media, but now you might understand how much better we are compared to Indian outlets. Patriotism doesn’t mean spreading fake news to fool your people.
Did you hear any Pakistani anchor like Ayaz Khan, Javed Chaudhry, Hamid Mir, Shahzeb Khanzada, or Waseem Badami claim that Pakistan had captured Mumbai or destroyed Delhi? They only shared facts. Meanwhile, Indian media spread so many lies that even their own people began criticizing them. Telling the truth is already restricted there. The media has grown used to one-sided reporting—those who speak the truth are silenced. Thousands of Pakistani channels and accounts have been banned on social media, The PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars’ account also came under restriction, but it remained unaffected. Several stars, including the team captain Shaheen Afridi, released videos in support of the Pakistan Army. This ban making it easy for Indian media to spread falsehoods. They’ve become a global joke.
Sports journalist Vikrant Gupta always received respect in Pakistan, but sadly he too became part of the false propaganda. If only he had reached out to Sana, Sami, or any Pakistani friend to ask whether anything had really happened in Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad. While we may criticize outsiders, the behavior of some of our own ex-cricketers has been disappointing—they remained silent spectators. Even though YouTube dollars have stopped coming in, and they won’t get IPL gigs anymore, some still clung to hope and stayed quiet.
However, the public’s reaction was commendable. The Pakistan Army’s brilliant response made the entire nation proud. I was present at a location where someone asked a child, “Son, which cricketer do you want to become when you grow up?” The child replied, “Not a cricketer, I want to be an Air Force pilot.” What could be more powerful than that?
India suffered heavy losses in this conflict, but our nation came together. Our armed forces once again proved themselves to the world—and that’s our greatest victory.
