PCB Chief's Trophy Tantrum Backfires: Naqvi's Bitter Rant Ignites India-Pakistan Firestorm

The euphoria of India's ninth Asia Cup triumph over Pakistan in Dubai's electrifying final turned into a diplomatic tinderbox, with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi lashing out on social media. Naqvi, whose X account remains blocked in India, fired back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's celebratory post, which cheekily dubbed the victory "Operation Sindoor on the games field" – a nod to India's decisive 2025 military strikes against Pakistani terror infrastructure.

Naqvi's retort? "If war was your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan's hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game." The barb, dripping with historical revisionism, prompted swift backlash, as critics highlighted Pakistan's surrenders in the 1971 war – where Lt. Gen. A.A.K. Niazi signed the Instrument of Surrender to Indian forces, birthing Bangladesh – and admissions of fault in the 1999 Kargil conflict by former PM Nawaz Sharif for breaching the Lahore Declaration.

The on-field drama was equally charged: India chased down 147 with five wickets in hand, thanks to Tilak Varma's unbeaten 69 off 53 balls and a crucial 60-run stand with Shivam Dube, overcoming an early collapse to 10/2. Yet, the post-match ceremony devolved into farce, delayed by 90 minutes amid Pakistan's dressing-room lock-in and Indian resolve not to accept the trophy from Naqvi – a dual-role figure as ACC President and Pakistan's top security official, amid lingering 2025 cross-border tensions.

Presenter Simon Doull announced India's boycott, citing the team's stance against receiving honors from Naqvi, who then reportedly departed with the trophy and medals in tow, leaving the champions to pose with an imaginary silverware amid fireworks and fan boos for the Pakistani contingent. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the decision, stating it was a "conscious choice" given Naqvi's leadership in a nation India views as a terrorism sponsor, vowing to protest at the next ICC meeting.

Operation Sindoor, referenced by Modi, wasn't mere rhetoric: Launched on May 7, 2025, in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack killing 26 civilians, India's missile and air strikes targeted nine Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba sites across Pakistan and PoK, destroying terror camps without hitting military assets initially. Pakistani retaliation escalated the brief conflict, but Indian forces neutralized threats, including air bases like Nur Khan, in a calibrated display of deterrence that analysts hail as a shift in India's anti-terror strategy – from exception to norm.

Naqvi's invocation of "humiliating defeats" ignores these realities, including Pakistan's 31 casualties in the strikes and global perceptions of India's technological edge with indigenous assets like BrahMos missiles. The exchange underscores how cricket, in Indo-Pak lore, mirrors deeper geopolitical scars, with India's on-field dominance – now 9-2 in Asia Cup finals against Pakistan – amplifying the sting.

Also Read: India Lifts Asia Cup, Yet Declines Trophy From Pakistan

The trophy fiasco, dubbed a "pathetic act" by Indian media, saw individual awards like those for Varma (Player of the Match), Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Tournament), and Kuldeep Yadav handed by neutral dignitaries, bypassing Naqvi entirely. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha decried the snub, questioning how India could claim victory without the hardware, while Suryakumar Yadav quipped that the "weight" of the win sufficed.

As fireworks lit Dubai's sky – ironically signaling Pakistan's ninth straight ICC tournament final loss to India – the episode exposed cricket's fragility amid politics, with calls for "good sense" from BCCI officials and warnings of eroded sportsmanship. Naqvi's post, viewed millions of times despite access curbs, has only fueled memes and debates, reminding all that in Indo-Pak cricket, the boundary isn't just on the field.

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