Renowned Indian politician and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned why India continues to play Pakistan despite the controversy surrounding matches between the two teams.
Owaisi’s comments came after India’s women’s team defeated Sri Lanka in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 final at the Dubai International Stadium on September 13.
The controversy surrounding the tournament centred on Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates did not go up to the stage to collect the trophy from Naqvi after winning the final.
India head coach Amol Muzumdar later explained that the decision was taken by the BCCI and that the team was required to follow it. The development mirrored the events following the men’s Asia Cup 2025 final, when the Indian team also did not collect the trophy from Naqvi.
India’s players have also avoided handshakes with their Pakistani counterparts during recent matches, including at the toss and after games.
The stance comes against the backdrop of the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. Relations between India and Pakistan have remained strained since the attack, with New Delhi accusing Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism.
Against this backdrop, Owaisi questioned why India continues to play Pakistan if such interactions remain politically and diplomatically sensitive. He also questioned whether the government had considered the feelings of families who lost their loved ones in the Pahalgam attack.
However, the Women’s T20 Asia Cup final itself did not feature Pakistan. India faced Sri Lanka in the title clash, with Sri Lanka unable to match India’s dominant performance.
After being asked to bat first, India posted 183, with Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana making important half-centuries. Sri Lanka were then bowled out for 111, with Shree Charani taking four wickets and Deepti Sharma claiming three as India completed a comfortable victory to lift the title.
