Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday clarified that no backchannel diplomacy is taking place with India regarding the Champions Trophy, nor would any bilateral cricket discussion happen. India has already refused to travel for the tournament which is scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan between February and March 2025.
India’s Refusal Stirs Controversy
Baloch stated at the weekly press briefing, “There is no backchannel diplomacy with India specially related to the Champions Trophy or any bilateral cricket matters.”
Baloch also emphasized that every information regarding the Champions Trophy should be referred to the Pakistan Cricket Board because that jurisdiction or authority would be holding the information required. According to her, sports events should remain separate from political issues even when Pakistan is making a statement that sports should not be politicized.
PCB Will Take The Final Call
When asked about whether Pakistan’s boycott of India would affect the event’s feasibility, Baloch said the PCB is in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the issue, involving other teams also. She said the PCB would take the final call on the tournament deals and that comments or updates must come from there only.
BCCI stated that India cannot travel to Pakistan for the event and at this moment speculations are rife that the event could be held in a hybrid model similar to last year’s Asia Cup, where India’s matches were to be played at Sri Lanka while the rest of the tournament was to take place in Pakistan. The ICC then wrote to the PCB for their views on whether the same template could be applied for the Champions Trophy.
