ALI’S GESTURE: BSF UNHAPPY

The BSF has said it is not satisfied with Pakistan’s reply over cricketer Hasan Ali’s gesture towards its personnel during the beating retreat ceremony at Attari.

: The Border Security Force (BSF) has said it is not satisfied with Pakistan’s reply over their cricketer Hasan Ali’s gesture towards its personnel and Indian audience during the beating retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border and will write to them again.

The BSF had lodged a written protest on April 22, a day after the Pakistani cricketer entered the flag-lowering ceremony area from the other side and made his signature wicket-taking gesture.

As per protocol, the ceremony is to be conducted only by the BSF personnel and the Pakistani Rangers from their respective sides.

The BSF top brass had said that if the Pakistani cricketer was unaware of the protocol at the beating the retreat ceremony, the Pakistan Rangers could have stopped him when he was indulging in ‘provocative actions’.

“We have got a reply of our protest saying that his (Hasan Ali’s) act was not intended towards India. But they didn’t respond to our objections and hence we are writing to them once again,” said BSF deputy inspector general (DIG) JS Oberoi on Sunday.

Another senior BSF officer said, “Our objections were also discussed during the recently held monthly flag meeting with the Pakistani Rangers and they apologised verbally, besides giving us assurance that such incident would not occur in future. But we are not satisfied with their written reply.”

Ali’s gesture-making act was recorded in a 40-second video clip that had gone viral.

In the video, he is seen wearing a red cap and entering into the arena of where flag ceremony is held while the Rangers look on.

A medium-pace bowler, Ali is seen tapping his thighs, raising arms towards the Indian audience and the BSF, and celebrating as he does after taking a wicket before a man in civvies escorts him back amid applause from the Pakistani audience.