ISLAMABAD: Pakistani sports presenter Zainab Abbas has apologized for her social media posts that led to her abrupt departure from India this week, but said she was neither deported nor forced to leave the South Asian country.
Abbas was in India as part of the 2023 World Cup broadcast team but left the country after a complaint was filed against her in New Delhi, with a local lawyer accusing her of posting “derogatory” tweets about Hinduism that dated back to 2014.
Following Abbas' departure from the country, a segment of the India media reported that she was forced to leave the country, while others said that she was “deported.”
Denying the India media reports, the Pakistani presenter said while her interactions with everyone during her stay were kind and cheerful, she did feel "intimidated and scared" by the reaction online.
"I understand and deeply regret the hurt caused by the posts that were circulated. I wish to make clear that they do not represent my values or who I am as a person today," she said in a social media post on Thursday.
"There is no excuse or space for such language, and I sincerely apologise to anyone who was offended."
The sports presenter thanked her family and friends on both sides of the border for their concern even though "there was no immediate threat to my safety."
South Asian heavyweights India and Pakistan only play each other in international tournaments due to longstanding political tensions between the two neighbors.
Any game between the two is watched by millions of fans across the globe, resulting in huge bonuses for broadcasters and sponsors.
At a weekly press briefing on Thursday, Pakistan's Foreign Office regretted the intimidation faced by Abbas during her stay in India.
"We believe that India as the host of the World Cup has the responsibility to provide seamless security for Pakistan’s cricket team and our officials who are in India for the World Cup. We also believe that it is their responsibility to offer a conducive environment for all cricketing teams including the Pakistan cricket team and other individuals who are visiting India in connection with this tournament," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said.
"Regrettably, Pakistani sports presenter Ms. Zainab was intimidated through the registration of an FIR against her on the basis of some attributed tweets made several years ago."
She said such developments reflected a "growing level of intolerance" and set a wrong precedent in the ICC sports tournaments.
