Pakistan’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday in Lahore that Bangladesh was being treated unfairly after refusing to play the T20 World Cup in India and should still be allowed to take part in the tournament.
Naqvi, who also serves as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, made the comments while addressing the media, insisting that Bangladesh’s stance deserved greater consideration from the International Cricket Council.
Bangladesh announced on January 4 that it would not travel to India for the T20 World Cup following the release of Mustafizur Rahman by his Indian Premier League franchise amid rising tensions between the two countries. The Bangladesh Cricket Board later formally requested the ICC to move their matches to Sri Lanka.
The ICC rejected that request, but Bangladesh has remained firm in its decision not to travel to India, a position that has effectively ruled them out of the tournament. Reports have since suggested that Scotland could replace Bangladesh in the competition.
Naqvi said Pakistan had raised the issue at ICC level and criticised what he described as inconsistent decision-making. “Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. I said the same in the board meeting of the International Cricket Council,” he said. “You cannot have double standards, where one country can make whatever decision whenever and do the total opposite for another country.
“That is why we have taken the stand that Bangladesh is being treated unfairly and should be allowed to play the World Cup in any case. They are a major stakeholder and this injustice should not be done.”
Asked whether Pakistan might boycott the tournament in response, Naqvi said the PCB’s position would follow the direction of the government. “We are waiting for the prime minister to return,” he said. “A final decision will be taken then.”
Naqvi was also questioned on whether he would propose a hybrid model for Bangladesh, similar to arrangements previously used between Pakistan and India. He said parity was essential. “The thing is that Bangladesh is the same member as Pakistan. If you have done this favour with Pakistan and India, then you should do the same with Bangladesh,” he said.
“The main reason is that one country cannot dictate another. If this dictation is attempted, then Pakistan definitely has its own stance.”
When asked whether Pakistan had a contingency plan should it also decide not to participate in the T20 World Cup, Naqvi replied: “Let the decision come first; we have Plan A, B, C, D.”
