Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 11 (ANI): Maharashtra Samajwadi Party President Abu Asim Azmi on Thursday said that India should not have played Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, calling it government's 'double standard' policy to go ahead with the fixture.

Azmi said that several innocent lives were lost in the Pahalgam terror attack but the government still allowed BCCI to proceed ahead with the match.

'So many people were killed. Government said that they will teach Pakistan a lession and 140 crore people were standing in support of the government at that time but now I am not able to understand this double-standard policy. How can there be a match with Pakistan? I support the protest against the India-Pakistan cricket match...Something fishy is going on,' Azmi told ANI.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) announced that it will protest against the upcoming India-Pakistan cricket match in ongoing Asia Cup 2025, terming the decision to play against the neighbouring nation as an act of 'treason' and 'shamelessness'.

He further announced that the women's wing of the Sena UBT will launch a 'Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan', a protest campaign where women will take to the streets to express their outrage.

Speaking to reporters, Raut said, 'We will protest against this India-Pakistan cricket match. Women will come on the streets and our campaign is 'Sindoor Raksha Abhiyan'.You said that water and blood will not flow together. If water and blood will not flow together, then how will blood and cricket work together?This is treason, shamelessness.'

The Sena UBT MP questioned the role of the Sangh Parivar in allowing this match to happen, implying they should prioritise national sentiments over sports. He also questioned how the government can allow cricket matches with Pakistan when the pain, grief and anger of the Pahalgam victims' families still linger.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a request to urgently list a plea seeking an interim stay on the cricket match between India and Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 14.

While rejecting the request, a bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi stated that the match should go on.The counsel appearing for the petitioner sought that the plea be heard urgently on Friday as the said match is set to take place on Sunday this week. However, the Court declined the request. (ANI)