India is not a nation that begs for peace. We have offered it time and again. But how long can we extend a hand of friendship when the other hand across the border wields a gun? How long can we play cricket with a country that trains terrorists in stadiums instead of athletes? How long can we share music and movies with a regime that sends bullets instead of brotherhood?
The answer is simple: We must not.
There is an Asia Cup coming up, and once again the old question returns like a stubborn virus: Should India play Pakistan? The sports lobby, pseudo-peace lovers, and Bollywood liberals will say: “Sport should not be mixed with politics.” I agree—except, this is not about politics. This is about terrorism.
Pakistan is a state sponsor of terror. That’s not an Indian sentiment—it’s a global fact. From 26/11 Mumbai attacks to the Pulwama massacre and now Pahalgam brutality, to sheltering Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan’s export is not cricket, not culture—it is terror. The same country that harbours Hafiz Saeed and glorifies Qasem Soleimani has no moral standing to shake hands on a cricket field.
We cannot bowl to their batsmen while they bomb our soldiers. We cannot smile on international sports broadcasts while our jawans’ families mourn in silence. Cricket may be a gentleman’s game, but it becomes a bloody farce when played with barbarians.
India has a thriving cultural ecosystem. Our music, our films, our stories are watched and loved globally. Pakistan, despite its collapsing economy and moral compass, also produces artists. But do not be fooled by art that comes wrapped in hypocrisy.
Every time we collaborate with a Pakistani singer or actor, we give their nation legitimacy. Every movie where an Indian star shares space with a Pakistani actor becomes a soft campaign for normalising terror-sympathising regimes. This is not about individual artists. Some may be talented. Some may be apolitical. But can art be separated from the soil it is born from?
The same Pakistani artists who perform in Mumbai will return to their country and stay silent when Indian soldiers are killed. They won’t raise their voice when Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians are targeted in their land. Why? Because they live under a regime of fear and fanaticism. And we must not reward that silence with our applause.
It’s high time India sends a clear, non-negotiable message to Pakistan: You cannot fund terror and be part of Team Spirit. You cannot slaughter our sons and expect box office collections. You cannot chant “death to India” and expect to sing on our stages.
We must implement a zero-tolerance policy. No sports. No cinema. No music. Not until Pakistan dismantles its terror infrastructure, prosecutes known terrorists, and stops bleeding India through proxy war.
The world must see this stand—not just as India being ‘tough’, but as India being morally right. If Israel can take a hardline against Hamas supporters, if the United States could boycott the USSR during the Cold War Olympics, if South Africa was isolated over apartheid—why should India be weak in the face of jihadist terror?
Our martyrs didn’t die so that BCCI can chase TRPs. They didn’t take bullets so that Bollywood can make money off “Indo-Pak love stories”. They died protecting a Bharat that is strong, proud, and uncompromising on national security.
This is not war-mongering. This is self-respect. This is patriotism in action. If Pakistan changes, we will welcome them as neighbours. But until then, we will treat them as they are: a terror state.
Let there be no cricket diplomacy, no cultural exchange, no musical harmony until the guns fall silent and justice is delivered. Let the Asia Cup be a wake-up call. Either India stands with its martyrs—or it sings lullabies to their murderers.
Bharat first. Always.
