Moeen Ali, a member of the England team, discussed the tough and frightening times caused by the India-Pakistan conflict that delayed the IPL 2025 tournament. He revealed that his parents were in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), just an hour away from the site where Indian missiles struck as part of Operation Sindoor. Because of his Pakistan heritage, Moeen has opted not to go back for this year’s IPL, even though it has just started, as they both had fled after the border skirmish earlier.

What Moeen Ali Stated

“My parents were actually in Kashmir at the time… in Pakistan, only about an hour away from where the strikes happened probably. Maybe a bit farther. So it was a bit crazy and then they managed to get the only flights out actually on that day. I was glad they got out, but it was crazy,” Ali said on Beard Before Wicket podcast.

“It was mad, obviously there were those attacks in Kashmir before everything really kicked off. Then within no time things just rapidly escalated and all of a sudden we’re in the middle. It felt like we’re in the middle of a war, but obviously we didn’t hear anything (like missiles striking). All of a sudden you’re just scrambling to get out of the country and just to make sure obviously your family’s fine,” he added.

“They looked after us really well. They were like ‘Whatever you want, whatever you need, we’ll try and support you as much as we can’. Obviously having a Pakistani background and being in India while this is happening. I genuinely believe these are the same people, obviously just split by borders, exactly the same people, good people on both sides,” Ali also said.