ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Tuesday lambasted India for what he described as the politicisation of cricket after the Indian team refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in the recent Asia Cup 2025 clash.
“A nation which is morally bankrupt and which has no values will always resort to this kind of theatrics in sports when you [India] can’t win in the military field,” Tarar said, addressing an event at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS).
He accused New Delhi of attempting to cover up its humiliation following the May conflict — when Pakistan shot down Indian jets and retaliated against cross-border strikes — by staging what he called “unsportsmanlike” gestures on the cricket field.
The controversy erupted on September 14 during the Pakistan–India group match in Dubai, when the customary handshake between the two captains was skipped at the toss, reportedly on the instructions of match referee Andy Pycroft. The Indian team repeated the omission after their seven-wicket victory, refusing to line up and acknowledge the Pakistani side as per cricketing tradition.
Pakistan’s players, who had formed up for the handshake, were left waiting as the Indian squad instead celebrated among themselves in front of the dugout before retreating to their dressing room.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav later defended the move, insisting it had been taken in consultation with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government. “We are aligned with the government and BCCI. Some things are above sportsmanship,” he said, arguing the refusal to shake hands was itself an answer.
The snub has sparked strong backlash within the cricket fraternity and prompted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi — who also heads the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) — to file a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The complaint seeks the removal of referee Pycroft for allegedly instructing the players to bypass the handshake.
In addition, the PCB suspended its Director of International Cricket, Usman Wahla, for failing to promptly forward a formal protest letter to the ICC regarding the matter.
The Asia Cup encounter was the first time the two sides met since the four-day hostilities in May, triggered by India’s cross-border attack and Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes under “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”. The clashes killed over 70 people in missile, drone and artillery fire before a ceasefire was agreed.
Since 2012, Pakistan and India have not played a bilateral series on home soil, restricting their encounters to multilateral tournaments on neutral grounds.
