Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has declared that Pakistan will maintain sporting ties with India only on equal terms, insisting that the days of pleading for talks are over.
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi said Pakistan would not beg India for dialogue, stressing that any future engagement must be based on mutual respect. His comments come after India’s sports ministry announced a policy severing all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, even at neutral venues, while leaving room for encounters at multilateral tournaments.
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Naqvi expressed confidence in Pakistan’s performance in the upcoming Asia Cup, noting that new talent is being introduced to strengthen the squad. He clarified that team selection remains the exclusive domain of the advisory and selection committees.
“I have no role in adding or removing anyone from the team,” he said, adding that the committees are fully empowered to decide on appointments, including the ODI captaincy.
Bilateral cricket between the two countries has been suspended since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, with the archrivals meeting only in multinational tournaments. The last Test series was played in 2007. Earlier this year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, forcing organizers to shift the final to Dubai.
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In response, Pakistan has opted not to send its women’s cricket team to India for the upcoming 50-over World Cup and the 2026 T20 World Cup, with matches to be played in Sri Lanka instead.
While cricket has borne the brunt of strained relations, other sports have seen limited interaction; Pakistan’s hockey team toured India in 2023 for the Asian Champions Trophy, finishing fifth.
