Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has refuted claims that he pushed for bilateral talks with India during recent discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Naqvi clarified that the Pakistan government's initial decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India was solely to support Bangladesh and address the injustice they faced.

Earlier this month, amidst uncertainty, the Pakistan government gave the go-ahead to its national team to participate in the ongoing T20 World Cup but initially announced a boycott of their high-voltage match against India scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. However, the government later made a U-turn, withdrawing the boycott order after discussions between the PCB, the ICC, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Naqvi addressed the media in Peshawar on Tuesday, stating that Pakistan's "sole objective" in the boycott standoff with the ICC was to help Bangladesh gain respect. He stated, "We didn't keep any condition [in our negotiations with ICC] other than Bangladesh. Our only aim was to get Bangladesh some respect, to right the injustice that had been done to them".

The situation arose after Bangladesh was effectively ousted from the T20 World Cup, reportedly for refusing to play their matches in India due to security concerns. After an ICC Board vote, Bangladesh was replaced at the T20 World Cup by Scotland. Naqvi had previously criticized the ICC's decision, alleging "double standards".

Following negotiations, the ICC stated that Bangladesh would not be sanctioned for refusing to play their T20 World Cup matches in India and would be awarded the hosting rights for an ICC event between 2028 and 2031. Naqvi noted, "You've seen whatever Bangladesh wanted, it's been accepted and that's it. We had no personal aim in this. They can say whatever they want but purely, our work was only related to Bangladesh. That is what the government took a decision on. And when their demands were accepted and it was acknowledged that they suffered an injustice, then we have decided to play again".

According to reports, during a meeting with the ICC, the PCB presented several demands, including the resumption of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan, and a tri-series featuring Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. However, the ICC rejected these proposals. Naqvi denied that these demands were the primary reason for the initial boycott threat. He insisted that the focus was solely on ensuring justice for Bangladesh.

PCB spokesperson Amir Mir stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Pakistani cricket team to play the match against India on February 15, following the ICC's press release addressing Bangladesh's concerns.

While India and Pakistan have agreed to compete at neutral venues, India will not participate in bilateral sports with Pakistan but will continue to play in multi-nation tournaments. The two sides last faced each other in a full series in 2013.