During the Men’s Asia Cup 2025 in September, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side refrained from shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts as the games were played amidst heightened tensions between two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory Operation Sindoor.

The arch-rivals faced each other thrice in the continental event and India emerged victorious on all occasions, including the title clash. In all three meetings, the Men in Blue refused to shake hands and exchange post-match pleasantries with the Pakistan players.

The no-handshake policy continued when the two teams squared off in the Women’s Cricket World Cup, Asia Cup Rising Stars and U19 Asia Cup.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday (December 28), PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan have no desire to shake hands with the Indian team if the gesture is not reciprocated.

Naqvi further stated that Pakistan would continue to engage with India on an equal footing and remain committed to keeping politics and sport separate.

“Our belief remains the same even today, and believe me, the Prime Minister himself has told me twice that we shouldn’t let politics come into all of this. From day one, our stance has been that cricket and politics should remain separate. On that day, Sarfaraz must have told you what kind of attitude was shown, and what it was like,” Naqvi told reporters.

"If they don’t want to shake hands, then we have no particular desire to do so either. Whatever happens, it will happen on an equal footing with India. And you will see, this approach will continue going forward. It’s not possible for them to do one thing and for us to back down — that simply won’t happen,” he added.

Last week, Pakistan U19 team mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed accused the Ayush Mhatre-led Indian team of displaying “unethical” conduct in the U19 Asia Cup final.

"I have played against the Indian team before. But that Indian team respected the game. But I realised while sitting outside that this team's behaviour regarding the game was not good, and the Indian team's conduct in cricket was unethical. You saw on the screen the kind of gestures their players made. But we celebrated the victory with sportsmanship, because there should always be sportsmanship in cricket; what India did is their own action," Sarfaraz said in a presser.

Tempers flared in the title clash in Dubai, where Pakistan defeated their bitter rivals by 191 runs. Pakistan pacer Ali Raza was at the centre of the flashpoints after dismissing Mhatre early, with the two involved in a brief run-in. Raza was later part of another heated exchange with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who snapped back at the bowler while walking back to the pavilion.