Karachi: Pakistan is set to confer the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Excellence Gold Medal on Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Karachi for his refusal to hand over the Asia Cup trophy to India after the 2025 final.
India had defeated Pakistan in the summit clash, but Naqvi chose not to present the trophy to the Indian side. Instead, he retained it and later asserted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could collect it from the ACC headquarters in Dubai. Naqvi maintained that he “did nothing wrong” and ruled out offering an apology.
The move has been met with sharp reactions from the Indian camp, which raised objections during the ACC’s Annual General Meeting. The controversy has only deepened the sporting and political divide between the two nations.
According to Advocate Ghulam Abbas Jamal, the medal ceremony will be held in Karachi, with Pakistan People’s Party leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari invited as the chief guest. The final date for the event will be confirmed once his availability is secured.
The episode comes amid already heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with diplomatic strains and cross-border hostilities casting a shadow on cricketing ties.
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