Jay Shah voices strong opposition to PCB’s Champions Trophy tour in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

Jay Shah, Mohsin Naqvi (Pic: AFP/PTI)

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has strongly condemned the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) decision to hold the Champions Trophy tour in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), urging the ICC to take appropriate action in light of BCCI's concerns over territorial integrity and political interference in sports, sources said.

PCB on Thursday announced on X that the Champions Trophy tour will start in Islamabad and include some places like Skardu, Murree, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad in the PoK region.

Shah raised the issue with the ICC, urging the organization to take appropriate action. Sources said he expressed India's strong disapproval and called upon the world body to address the matter.

"BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has strongly condemned the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to conduct a trophy tour in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), reiterating India's objection to the move. Shah has raised the matter with the International Cricket Council (ICC), urging the body to take appropriate action in light of BCCI's concerns over territorial integrity and political interference in sports," a BCCI source told ANI.

Also Read: ICC directs PCB to cancel Champions Trophy tour in PoK: Report

The move by PCB has heightened concerns about India's participation in the Champions Trophy.

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13, primarily meeting in ICC tournaments and the Asia Cup.

Last week, the PCB wrote to the ICC seeking reasons behind India's refusal to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled for early 2025, as reported by Geo News. India has cited 'security concerns' for its stance.

The ICC has confirmed in writing that India will not travel to Pakistan for the event. In response, the PCB consulted with the Pakistan government and is looking to present its stance. The PCB has emphasized that their team travelled to India for the ODI World Cup in 2023, hoping for reciprocity.

As per ESPNCricinfo, BCCI told ICC that the central government has advised it to not visit Pakistan for the eight-team competition, which is scheduled to be held from February 19 to March 9 next year.

It means that ICC and PCB will now have to decide on another plan, which is likely to involve a hybrid model plan as a part of which India will play its set of matches at some other venue while the rest of the tournament takes place in Pakistan.

Last year, Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup in a hybrid model, with India playing its matches in Sri Lanka.

(With agency inputs)