‘No malice in my heart, please don’t politicise’:Sana Mir breaks silence on ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark during Women’s ODI World Cup commentary; Indian fans demand action

Former Pakistan women’s cricket captain Sana Mir has responded to the backlash over her recent ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark during the Women’s ODI World Cup. The comment, made while she was on air during Pakistan’s match against Bangladesh, stirred controversy among Indian fans who argued the correct term is Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Mir, however, clarified that her words were not political but only intended to highlight the personal challenges faced by Pakistan batter Natalia Pervaiz, who hails from the region. She stressed that her focus was on storytelling and celebrating inspiring journeys of cricketers rather than making political statements. The controversy comes at a sensitive time, with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting the World Cup and Pakistan playing all of its matches in the island nation. Mir breaks her silence on ‘Azad Kashmir’ remark during commentary “My comment about a Pakistan player’s hometown was only meant to highlight the challenges she faced of coming from a certain region in Pakistan and her incredible journey. It is part of the storytelling we do as commentators as where the players come from,” Mir said in a statement on X after the incident. “I did that today for two other players coming from other regions, too. Please don’t politicise it. As a commentator on the World Feed, we are meant to focus on the sport, teams, and players, highlighting inspiring stories of grit and perseverance. There is no malice in my heart or any intention to hurt sentiments,” she added further. Also read: ROI all-out for 214 in first innings of Irani Cup: Rajat Patidar, Abhimanyu Easwaran slam half-century, Yash took four wickets; Vidarbha lead by 128 runs Indian fans demand action Despite Mir’s clarification, many Indian fans expressed anger on social media, tagging the ICC and BCCI and demanding her removal from the commentary panel for ‘politicising’ the broadcast. They argued that live commentary during an international event should remain strictly neutral. ‘Blown Out of Proportion’ – Sana Mir Mir defended herself further, saying that her words were taken out of context. She also posted a screenshot of the research source she relied on while preparing for the game. “It’s unfortunate how things are being blown out of proportion and people in sports are being subjected to unnecessary pressure. It is sad that this requires an explanation at public level,” she wrote. She added, “I am also attaching the screenshot of where I research most of my players from, whether from Pakistan or any other country. I realise that they have changed it by now, but this is what I was referring to.” Also read: Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by 4 wickets in first T20I: Openers Parvez -Tanzid’s 109-run partnership set strong start; Bangla Tigers lead three-match series by 1-0 Background tensions between India vs Pakistan The incident follows a series of off-field issues between India and Pakistan in cricket. Recently, during the men’s Asia Cup in the UAE, Indian players refused to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi in protest over the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this year.