Only purpose was to get Bangladesh respect, says PCB chief

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday said his recent engagements with officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) were solely aimed at ensuring Bangladesh was treated fairly, dismissing reports of any other conditions being discussed.

He made these remarks while addressing the media in Peshawar.

Addressing questions regarding meetings held with ICC and BCB officials, Naqvi said Pakistan had no personal or institutional interest in the negotiations beyond highlighting what he described as an injustice done to Bangladesh.

“We did not discuss anything except Bangladesh. Our only purpose was to get them respect and to point out the injustice they faced,” Naqvi said, adding that all demands raised by Bangladesh during the discussions had been accepted.

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“And you saw that whatever demands Bangladesh made were accepted. That’s it,” he said.

Naqvi’s remarks came a day after the federal government withdrew its earlier decision to boycott Pakistan’s group-stage match against India in the T20 World Cup, scheduled for February 15.

The government’s initial decision to boycott the high-profile fixture against India was announced on February 1, following Bangladesh’s replacement by Scotland in the tournament after Dhaka declined to tour India, citing security concerns amid strained political relations between the two countries.

The standoff was resolved after prolonged negotiations involving the ICC, cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, consultations at the government level, and diplomatic engagement by friendly countries including Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

Naqvi said Pakistan agreed to proceed with the match only after Bangladesh’s concerns were addressed and the ICC acknowledged that they had been treated unfairly.

“The government made its decision on that basis. Once their demands were accepted and it was recognised that injustice had been done, we decided to play,” he said.