India has deported Zainab Abbas, leading to media accusations against the already under fire ICC World Cup 2023 being held in India. Abbas faced deportation on the grounds of tweets made eight years ago. These were reportedly critical of the Hindu religion and India, as alleged by an Indian attorney.
Subsequently, the attorney lodged a cybercrime complaint against Zainab Abbas and urged the Delhi Police to initiate an FIR against her for her tweet history. According to media reports, the Pakistan-born presenter, who was covering the prominent event in India, has since moved to Dubai.
Zainab Abbas Deported From India
Speculation has surged, with certain sources implying that the ICC is struggling to confront what they perceive as Indian propaganda. Abbas, a renowned presenter with a history of covering various international sporting events, finds herself in a state of uncertainty regarding the reasons and timing behind the resurfacing of old tweets.
It has not been confirmed whether Zainab indeed authored these tweets or not. This incident has sparked concerns regarding press freedom and the treatment of international media professionals, particularly in the context of the World Cup.
ICC Stance on Zainab Abbas Deportation
On Monday, the International Cricket Council (ICC) refuted allegations of deporting Pakistani sports presenter Abbas from India, where she was part of the World Cup 2023 broadcast team.The ICC attributed her departure from the country to “personal reasons.”
ICC official C. Rajshekhar Rao affirmed this information to Arab News. However, certain media reports suggested that “security concerns” prompted her departure, stemming from a recent complaint filed in Delhi by a local lawyer. The lawyer accused her of posting “derogatory” tweets directed at the Hindu faith in the past.
Read more: Pakistan World Cup Squad 2023 Finally Announced
Complaint Against Zainab Abbbas
The complaint was based on screenshots of posts originating from an account bearing Abbas’ name on the micro-blogging site X (formerly Twitter) in 2014. As per the Indian news website OPIndia, a lawyer named Vineet Jindal lodged a cyber complaint against Abbas with the New Delhi police’s cyber cell on October 4.
The complainant additionally requested the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the presenter, citing various sections of the law pertaining to “derogatory remarks about Hinduism and anti-India statements,” as reported.
Zinab is currently safe in Dubai, and we do not know when she will return to Pakistan. We wish her a safe journey back home.