The current battle between India and Pakistan over Asia cup trophy has not ended. Although India has scooped the trophy last month with a tense final victory against Pakistan, the much-desired trophy still rests in the custody of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) headquarters in Dubai. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister of Pakistan, has been reported to give stern orders that the trophy should not be transferred or handed to somebody without his personal presence and consent.
The scandal started on September 28, on the occasion of the post-match ceremony, when the Indian team did not take the trophy of Naqvi. As a retaliation, he took the trophy out of the presentation platform and effectively managed to roll it to the winning Indian team. An informant of Naqvi said that the trophy is presently still in offices of ACC in Dubai and it has been clearly told in writing that the trophy should not be transported or handed over to any person without his consent and in his presence. The source further stated that the trophy will be handed to the Indian team or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by Naqvi himself in the future though without a time schedule.
Already a tense environment around the tournament, the episode has aggravated it further, which was marred by continuing Indo-Pak hostilities. Indian players during the event particularly the players did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, and both teams used minor political gestures on the field. Naqvi himself contributed to the controversy when he made politically charged comments on social media throughout the tournament, and the BCCI swiftly disowned him because of this.
The fact that he has chosen to take the trophy off the stage with his bare hands and hands has led to an international cricketing and diplomatic standoff and portrays how sport and politics still intersect in the relationship between India and Pakistan.
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