IMG Reliance on Sunday pulled out from broadcasting the Pakistan Super League in protest against the Pulwama terrorist attack.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed after a suicide bomber affiliated to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) targeted a convoy of the security forces with a car bomb at Awantipora in Pulwama district on Thursday, following what is being termed as the deadliest terrorist strike in three decades in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Due to unfortunate events a couple of days back which resulted in the death of Indian soldiers, IMG Reliance is pulling out with immediate effects, from offering broadcast production services for PSL. The incident that occured is deeply regrettable," stated a mail addressed to Sohaib Sheikh and Kamil Khan of Pakistan Cricket Board, the content of which is in possession of PTI.
The PCB said that announcement of the live broadcast partner is likely to be made on Monday following the signing of a new agreement.
“The PCB always had a contingency plan in place, and we are confident we will be in a position to announce the new partner,” PCB’s managing director Wasim Khan said in a statement “The PCB has also noted the recent turn of events and expresses its extreme disappointment as we have always believed and emphasised that sports and politics should be kept separate,” he added.
The PCB intends to take up the incident with the Board of Control for Cricket and the International Cricket Council at the upcoming ICC committee meeting scheduled to take place in Dubai later this month.