BJP Responds to Haris Rauf’s Jet-Crash Gesture During India-Pakistan Asia Cup Clash

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday hit back at Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf after a video of his mid-match gestures sparked controversy during the Asia Cup Super Four clash against India in Dubai.

Rauf, responding to crowd taunts during India’s run chase, was seen raising his fingers to signal “0-6” and then gesturing crashing planes—moves that social media linked to Pakistan’s unsubstantiated claims of downing Indian fighter jets during the four-day military conflict that followed India’s Operation Sindoor earlier this year.

The BJP posted a video on social media splicing Rauf’s gestures with visuals of India’s airstrikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Captioned “Haris Rauf showed what he saw!”, the clip ends with credits reading: “Directed by Indian Armed Forces.”

Rauf wasn’t the only Pakistani player to stir controversy. Opener Sahibzada Farhan celebrated his half-century by pointing his bat like a gun, a gesture likened to an “AK-47.”

The incidents drew sharp political reactions in India. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said Farhan’s gesture reminded him of how “Pakistan terrorists gunned down 26 innocents in Pahalgam.” Samajwadi Party’s Sharad Saran argued India should not have played Pakistan in the Asia Cup, while AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed Rauf’s antics, asking why India did not walk out in protest.

India won the high-voltage clash by six wickets, their second victory in the tournament.

Operation Sindoor

On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. Over four days of fighting, Indian forces struck Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen bases, while also thwarting Pakistani airstrikes. The conflict ended with a ceasefire understanding after Pakistan’s military sought de-escalation.