NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board has once again targeted India over the handshake issue which first arose during the Asia Cup 2025. The controversy started when Indian players refused to shake hands with Pakistani cricketers after dominating them in all matches.
Addressing the media in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi briefly explained his first point, stating that PCB has maintained from the start that cricket and politics should remain separate, and he claimed even the Prime Minister had advised against mixing the two.
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“Our belief remains the same even today, and believe me, the Prime Minister himself has told me twice that we shouldn’t let politics come into all of this.”
“From day one, our stance has been that cricket and politics should remain separate. On that day, Sarfaraz must have told you what kind of attitude was shown, and what it was like,” Naqvi added.
On the second point, Naqvi spoke about the handshake directly, making it clear that Pakistan will not insist on it if India chooses not to.
“If they don’t want to shake hands, then we have no particular desire to do so either. Whatever happens, it will happen on an equal footing with India,” he added.
India’s players have consistently maintained their stance and national sentiment on the field. Since then, the trend has been followed in Under-19 and Women’s fixtures, and the underlying reason is linked to the Palghar terror attack, a Pakistan-based incident in Indian history.
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