Afghanistan cricket captain Rashid Khan on Saturday criticised Pakistan for its airstrike on Friday night that killed at least eight people, including three young cricketers, in the Paktika province. Seven other people were also injured.
Supporting the Afghanistan Cricket Board's (ACB) decision to pull out of the upcoming Tri-Nation T20I Series involving Pakistan, which is scheduled for November, Khan said that he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of civilian lives, in general, and the young cricketers, in particular.
"It is absolutely immoral and barbaric to target civilian infrastructure. These unjust and unlawful actions represent a grave violation of human rights and must not go unnoticed," he wrote on X, welcoming the ACB's decision.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of civilian lives in the recent Pakistani aerial strikes on Afghanistan. A tragedy that claimed the lives of women, children, and aspiring young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage.
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) October 17, 2025
It is absolutely immoral and…
Former Afghan team captain Mohammad Nabi also weighed in, saying that the incident was "not only a tragedy for Paktika but for the entire Afghan cricket family and the nation as a whole".
Afghan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi also denounced Pakistan's airstrike, calling it a "heinous, unforgivable crime".
انالله واناالیه راجعون
— fazalhaq farooqi (@fazalfarooqi10) October 17, 2025
د ظالمانو لخوا د ملکي وګړو او زموږ د کورني کرکټ لوبغاړو شهیدانېدل یو ستر نه بښونکی جنایت دی، شهیدانو ته دې لوی خدای جنت فردوس نصیب کړي او ظالمان دې خدای ج ذلیل او په خپل قهر ګرفتار کړي.
د لوبغاړو او ملکي وګړو شهیدانول افتخار نه بلکه د بیغرتۍ آخري
حد دی!…
According to the ACB, the three cricketers—identified as Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon—had earlier travelled to Sharana, the capital of the Paktika province, for a friendly cricket match.
Statement of Condolence
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 17, 2025
The Afghanistan Cricket Board expresses its deepest sorrow and grief over the tragic martyrdom of the brave cricketers from Urgun District in Paktika Province, who were targeted this evening in a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime.
In… pic.twitter.com/YkenImtuVR
It added that they were struck at a gathering after they returned to Urgun.
The airstrike on Afghanistan came hours after a Pakistani Taliban-backed suicide bomb attack on a security compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Mir Ali, which killed at least six militants and one soldier. A faction of the outfit, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.
The airstrike led the Taliban to call out Islamabad for breaking the two-day ceasefire that followed nearly a week of intense Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes.
“Pakistan has broken the ceasefire and bombed three locations in Paktika (province)", an unnamed senior Taliban official told AFP.
“Afghanistan will retaliate," the official warned. However, no response has been issued from Pakistan's side yet.
