PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi’s sharp reply to India’s no-handshake policy

On Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Mohsin Naqvi once again commented on India’s no-handshake policy and emphasized that Pakistan has no intention of reciprocating if the BCCI maintains its position. Since September, Indian men’s and women’s teams have refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts during international matches, citing solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam attack in April.

This policy was first implemented by the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian T20I team during the men’s Asia Cup in September. The Indian women’s team later adopted the same approach in the ODI World Cup, followed by the U19 men’s team in the Asia Cup and the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters, Naqvi stated that Pakistan would only engage with India on equal footing and clarified that the PCB did not intend to impose any gesture. He reiterated that Pakistan wants cricket to remain free from political interference and will respect whatever position India decides to adopt.

“Our belief is the same even today and believe me, the Prime Minister told me twice that we should not allow politics to come into this. From day one, our attitude was that cricket and politics should remain separate. That day, Sarfaraz must have told you what kind of attitude was taken, what it was like,” Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore.

“If they don’t want to shake hands, we have no particular desire to do so. Whatever happens, it will happen on equal terms with India. And you will see, this approach will continue to move forward. It is not possible for them to do one thing and for us to step back, it will definitely not happen,” the PCB chief added.

Naqvi’s comments followed accusations from Pakistan U19 coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, who called the Indian team’s actions in the Asian Cup final earlier this month “unethical”. Later reports indicated that the PCB chairman was considering bringing the issue to the attention of the ICC.

Ahead of the tournament in the UAE, the ICC had reportedly urged the BCCI to rethink its no-handshake policy and stressed the importance of keeping politics away from junior-level cricket. Ultimately, the decision was left to the Indian board. However, the BCCI chose to maintain its stance by continuing this policy in both the group stage match against Pakistan and the final.

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