"We Released 22 Indian Fishermen": PCB Chief Ahead Of India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy Showdown
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that his team was fully prepared to face arch-rivals India in the marquee clash of the Champions Trophy on Sunday.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is confident of his side's chances against India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A Match on Sunday. Naqvi visited the Pakistan team training area and met the players. Senior batter Babar Azam did not turn up for the practice session. "Hope there will be a good match tomorrow. Definitely, our team is fully prepared. I think the team is in form. Whether they win or lose we are with them (the team)," Naqvi told reporters. Pakistan need a win against India to avoid early elimination from the tournament while Rohit Sharma's men are aiming to seal a semifinal spot with a victory on Sunday.
Asked how he would have felt had the Indo-Pak match been held in Lahore, he said, "Please ask the Indians what they would have felt if the match happens in Lahore." The Indian team is playing all its matches in Dubai, though Pakistan is the official host country of the tournament.
On the incident of India's national anthem being played for a fraction of a second at the start of the Australia-England Champions Trophy match in Lahore on Saturday, he said, "ICC is organising the tournament.
"From our side, we have released 22 Indian fishermen today," he added.
According to media reports, Pakistani authorities have released 22 Indian fishermen from Karachi's Malir Jail.
Meanwhile, according to a report in news agency ANI, an Indian fisherman passed away in Karachi jail on January 23. Despite the completion of his sentence and confirmation of his Indian nationality, he was not released by Pakistan authorities.
The report further said that in the last 2 years, this is the 8th Indian fisherman who has died in Pakistan and 180 Indian fishermen who have completed their sentences await release from Pakistani jail. India has been continuously raising the issue of early release of prisoners with the Pakistan side, the sources said.
On Friday, a group of 15 Indian fishermen who were repatriated from Sri Lanka arrived in Chennai on Thursday evening, officials said.
They will now be sent to their respective homes. In a post on X, the official handle of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka wrote, "Back home! 15 Indian fishermen were repatriated from Sri Lanka last evening."
With ANI and PTI Inputs