Judiciary’s political record in the spotlight as Pakistan heads down rocky road to elections

Lawyers, some of them look on television screen, displaying the live broadcast of the proceeding from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, at the Sindh High Court Bar Association in Karachi, Pakistan September 18, 2023. (REUTERS/File)
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Updated 16 January 2024
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Judiciary’s political record in the spotlight as Pakistan heads down rocky road to elections

  • Supreme Court has history of adjudicating election disputes, interpreting election laws, disqualifying politicians from office
  • Top court famously created “the doctrine of necessity” in 1954 to justify Pakistan’s first application of martial law

ISLAMABAD: As Pakistan gears up for general elections next month, the superior judiciary’s role in political affairs has come under the spotlight, with both political leaders and legal experts criticizing top judges for taking a “partisan” approach in arbitrating political disputes both in the past and the present.

The Supreme Court is a key power holder in Pakistan, with a history of adjudicating election disputes, interpreting constitutional provisions related to elections, and disqualifying politicians, including prime ministers, from holding public office.

The judiciary’s imprints on politics and policymaking are wide, with top judges known to challenge, limit and collaborate with both elected and unelected centers of power and political and military leaders widely seen as co-opting and even controlling judges to align the judiciary’s interests with their own. In Pakistani politics, there is a “troika” of power between the prime minister, the army chief and the chief justice, with shifting alignments and conflicts between the three officeholders often determining the very contours of national politics.

“The worldwide phenomenon known as the judicialization of politics extends beyond political realms and notably, in Pakistan, this trend gained prominence, particularly since 2009,” legal expert Usama Khawar told Arab News.

“The judiciary’s role in pivotal decisions, such as determining eligibility for elections, has significantly increased. Many issues that would traditionally be political disputes resolved in the political arena, streets, or at the ballot box are now being adjudicated in courts.”




A man walks past the Pakistan's Supreme Court building in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January 12, 2024. (AFP)

Indeed, the Supreme Court’s political record is almost as old as Pakistan itself, born in 1947 after the end of British rule over united India.

The court famously created “the doctrine of necessity” in 1954 to justify Pakistan’s first application of martial law, after which it used the principle to legalize each one of the country’s three military coups in 1958, 1977 and 1999. The judiciary has also been seen as playing handmaiden to military rulers in other ways, most famously by hanging Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a former prime minister, in 1979 in what is still considered one of the most controversial legal judgments in Pakistani history.

In June 2012, the Supreme Court convicted and disqualified Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan People’s Party for contempt. In July 2017 the top court invoked corruption charges to remove three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office, and later also disqualified him from heading his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party ahead of July 2018 elections.

As Pakistan approaches polls on Feb. 8, the judiciary is once again in the eye of the political storm.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Election Commission’s (ECP) decision to strip the country’s most popular political party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), of its election symbol, the cricket bat. The verdict has been widely criticized by supporters of jailed PTI founder and ex-PM Imran Khan as well as independent analysts, who say the top court is toeing the line of the powerful military establishment which is accused of trying to sideline Khan and his party from the polls. The army says it does not interfere in political affairs.

In the same breath, the Supreme Court recently also overturned a law that barred politicians with past convictions from seeking political office, a move that has paved the way for Sharif to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Khan’s main rival, Sharif has been cleared of most court cases as well as a lifetime ban to contest polls, and analysts say he appears to be the front runner for the February polls and has the military’s support — an advantage in a country where army generals have had an outsized role in the making and breaking of governments. The army says it is apolitical.

“The judiciary’s recent role is not fair,” PTI spokesperson Shoaib Shaheen told Arab News, commenting on the SC verdict on the party symbol as well as legal cases against Khan. “When the judiciary fails to meet expectations and remains partisan, anger arises, undermining the rule of law.”

A party’s electoral symbol on ballot papers is significant for voters to be able to identify its candidates in the South Asian nation of 241 million people, where a large number of constituencies are in rural areas with low literacy. Stripped of the bat, PTI candidates will need to contest on individual symbols, which could confuse its voters, the party fears, as it already faces an unprecedented crackdown on political activities.

“POLITICALLY MOTIVATED”

The PTI’s issues with the judiciary stem from dozens of cases filed against Khan since he was ousted from office in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022 that he says was orchestrated by the military and his political rivals at the behest of the United States. All three deny the charge. Khan was convicted last August in one case involving the sale of state gifts while he was PM, for which he is serving a three-year sentence. He also faces a slew of other charges ranging from attempted murder to treason and corruption and terrorism.

The party has faced a widening crackdown since May 9 last year, when Khan’s supporters damaged government and military properties in nationwide street protests that the former PM and top leaders of his party are accused of masterminding. Thousands of Khan’s followers were arrested after the protests and dozens of members of his party, including some of his closest and oldest aides, deserted him. Khan’s party, already at odds with powerful army generals by the end of his tenure as PM, has since May been grappling with what independent analysts have called a military-backed crackdown that has gathered pace ahead of the Feb. 8 vote. The army and the government say they are only prosecuting PTI leaders and supporters who were involved in the May 9 violence, particularly the destruction of army properties. 

The PTI alleges the military is attempting to keep it out of the election race, a charge the army denies, and candidates from his party complain of being denied a level playing field and the right to freely campaign. His party members have accused state authorities of intimidation, harassment and unwarranted arrests and said the judiciary has looked the other way.

Referring to the crackdown and Khan’s imprisonment, Shaheen called for a “proactive judiciary” that intervened when human rights and the law were being violated. In the past the PTI itself invited courts to review the judgment on the no-confidence vote, proceed on corruption charges against rival politicians, challenge the electoral commission, facilitate new elections, investigate Khan’s allegations of a foreign conspiracy to oust him, and ensure Khan’s paty could hold protests and sit-ins in the capital city unencumbered.

“The wrongful imprisonment of Imran Khan underscores concerns about compromised judges and discriminatory decisions, affecting the overall fairness of the judiciary,” the PTI spokesperson added.




Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pauses as he speaks with Reuters during an interview, in Lahore, Pakistan on March 17, 2023. (REUTERS/File)

Even the PTI’s main rival party, the PMLN, admitted to the judiciary’s “politically motivated” verdicts.

“At times, the judiciary has rewritten the constitution through its decisions, a power reserved for parliament,” Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha, a member of the PML-N legal team, told Arab News.

“[Nawaz] Sharif’s -2017] disqualification [from office], conviction in politically motivated cases without following legally admissible evidence showed the judiciary was not acting as per law,” Ranjha added.

The judiciary’s role in the run up of the 2018 elections was also “questionable,” legal expert Khawar said.

“There were widespread allegations of the judiciary’s partisanship and witch-hunting of one political party [PML-N] before and after the 2018 election,” Khawar told Arab News, saying Sharif, a thrice-elected premier, was ousted on “flimsy charges” while an implementation bench of the apex court was formed to ensure he was convicted.

“Now in 2024, the PTI and Khan are also leveling serious allegations against the [military] establishment and accusing the judiciary of facilitating the PTI’s persecution,” Khawar added.




Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (R) stands beside his daughter Maryam Nawaz (L) as he waves to their supporters along with his brother and former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (back) gathered at a park during an event held to welcome him in Lahore on October 21, 2023. (AFP/File)

“PRIMARY HOPE”

But there are many who commend the senior judiciary for its role in ensuring the latest general election, delayed since November, would be held in February.

After months of uncertainty over the election date, the Election Commission said in November it would hold general polls on Feb. 8 after a consultation with President Arif Alvi that was ordered by the Supreme Court in fulfillment of a constitutional requirement. On Dec. 15, the ECP issued the full schedule for general elections, again after the top court ordered the regulator to issue the plan the same day.

“Recently, the Supreme Court has taken proactive steps by ordering timely elections, ensuring adherence to constitutional timelines,” legal expert Barrister Shabbir Shah, who is affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), one of the country’s main political parties, told Arab News.

“Currently, our judiciary remains the primary hope for ensuring elections take place.”

But legal experts like Khawar warn that the top court’s interference in political matters threatens the credibility of the higher judiciary and leads to in-fighting.

“Political disputes are routinely brought to courts, either proactively by superior courts or compelled by competing political parties and this heightened involvement has led to the polarization of the judiciary, as political disputes inherently foster division,” he said. “In the long run, this jeopardizes the judiciary’s credibility and erodes public confidence in it as a neutral and impartial institution.”

The effectiveness of the judiciary’s decisions hinged on its credibility and moral authority while accusations of collaboration between senior judges and non-elected power entities ultimately undermined the judiciary’s credibility and independence, Khawar added:

“A widespread perception among the people that the judiciary is partisan harms its credibility, independence, and public trust in the system. Therefore, the judiciary should strive to act impartially, avoiding the appearance of supporting one party over another, especially in political disputes.”


Islamabad says unaware of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s decision to engage Kabul on militancy

Updated 20 sec ago
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Islamabad says unaware of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s decision to engage Kabul on militancy

  • The government in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday announced sending two delegations to Kabul to discuss a surge in militancy in the region
  • Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy, mainly in KP province, since a fragile truce between Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad broke down in 2022

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Monday it had not been informed about a decision by the government in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province to hold direct talks with Kabul regarding a surge in militancy in the region, saying it would act accordingly once it is formally conveyed about the decision.
The development came a day after a KP government spokesman said the provincial government had decided to send two delegations, comprising tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders, to Kabul to engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban rulers for peace and stability in the province. It followed a statement by KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, in which he said the security situation in the region was directly linked to the “developments in neighboring Afghanistan,” following a consultative meeting of various religious and political parties in the province.
Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in the country, particularly in KP that borders Afghanistan, since a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Islamabad broke down in November 2022. The TTP and other militant groups have frequently targeted security forces convoys and check-posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Shafqat Ali Khan, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office, told Arab News that Pakistan’s foreign relations with any country fall under the domain of the federal government as per the constitution, and in general, a provincial government takes part in a matter involving external affairs only through the federal authorities.
“Under the constitution, foreign relations remain the mandate of the federal government,” he said. “We have not received any communication from them [KP administration] so far and will act accordingly if the KP government contacts foreign ministry.”
Pakistan’s top military and political leadership has blamed the surge in violence on TTP militants launching cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, accusing Kabul of harboring and facilitating them. Afghanistan denies the allegation and says Pakistan’s security is an internal matter of Islamabad.
The TTP continues to get financial and logistical support from Kabul, a United Nations (UN) report said this month, amid Islamabad’s repeated calls for Afghanistan to rein in the group. The ambition and scale of the TTP’s attacks on Pakistan had significantly increased, with over 600 attacks from July to December 2024, the report said.
The KP information department said on Sunday that two separate delegations would soon engage in direct talks with the Afghan Taliban in Kabul to address key issues, including cross-border security, economic cooperation and trade. Provincial government spokesperson Muhammad Ali Saif would be the focal person and will also be part of all delegations in this regard, it added.
“Both delegations will visit Kabul soon as the government has finalized the Terms of Reference (TORs) for the tribal elders,” Saif told Arab News in a statement sent by his office on Monday.
The KP government will formally notify the federal government about the initiative and ensure it is aligned with Pakistan’s foreign and security policies, according to the TOR document seen by Arab News.
“No commitments will be made that override Pakistan’s national security framework or diplomatic stance and a detailed briefing document will be shared with federal authorities before the engagement,” the document said.
The KP government proposes sending a delegation of tribal elders, religious scholars, and political leaders to engage with their Afghan counterparts and address mutual concerns, particularly peace, security, cross-border trade and economic cooperation, through “tribal diplomacy,” according to the document.
“Objectives of the delegations included strengthening cross-border tribal diplomacy, confidence-building measures between tribal communities and authorities in both countries, and facilitating dialogue on regional peace and stability,” it read.
Another aim is to address cross-border security concerns by engaging tribal elders to “dissuade terrorist organizations from using Afghan territory for launching attacks in Pakistan and seek cooperation in monitoring and preventing TTP and other militant groups’ movement across the border,” according to the TORs.
“[The delegations will] discuss initiatives to enhance health care, education, and livelihood opportunities,” the document said, adding that the discussions would also focus on cross-border humanitarian and cultural initiatives for safe movement of people across the border for medical treatment, trade and social engagements.


Authorities to dismantle all bunkers in clashes-hit northwestern Pakistani district by March 23

Updated 54 min 47 sec ago
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Authorities to dismantle all bunkers in clashes-hit northwestern Pakistani district by March 23

  • The development came as another aid convoy came under attack by unidentified men in Ochat area of Kurram district
  • Fresh feuding between Shiite and Sunni tribes began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people

ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has decided to dismantle all bunkers in the Kurram district, which has been the site of sectarian and tribal clashes over the last three months, by March 23, officials said on Monday.
Kurram, a tribal district of around 600,000 where federal and provincial authorities have traditionally exerted limited control, has frequently witnessed violence between its Sunni and Shiite communities over land and power. Travelers to and from the area often ride in convoys escorted by security officials.
Fresh feuding began on Nov. 21 when gunmen ambushed a convoy and killed 52 people, mostly Shiites. The assault triggered road closures and other measures that have disrupted people’s access to medicine, food, fuel, education and work and created a humanitarian crisis in the area, where authorities say at least 150 people have been killed in nearly three months of clashes.
On Monday, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur presided over a provincial cabinet meeting, during which officials briefed participants about various measures taken by them to restore peace to volatile district, including the demolition of bunkers used by rival tribes to attack each other with both small and heavy weapons.
“So far, 151 bunkers have been demolished,” KP CM’s office quoted officials as telling the cabinet members. “The deadline for demolishing all bunkers in the area has been set for March 23.”
The warring tribes had agreed on the demolition of bunkers and handover of heavy weapons as part of a peace agreement reached on Jan. 1, but sporadic violence has continued and both sides have occasionally engaged in battles with machine guns and heavy weapons that have isolated the remote, mountainous region.
Shiite Muslims dominate parts of Kurram, although they are a minority in the rest of Pakistan, which is majority Sunni. The main road connecting Parachinar, the main town in Kurram, to the provincial capital of Peshawar has been blocked since sectarian fighting began in November.
Meanwhile, police said an aid convoy, comprising 52 vehicles, that was en route to the troubled district came under attack by unidentified men near Ochat, a hilly area on the outskirts of Parachinar.
“The area is remote and we’re collecting information about human and material losses,” Kurram police official Yaqoob Khan told Arab News.
Attacks on aid convoys and crossfire between rival tribes have injured two senior administration officials and a number of security men as well as drivers of vehicles carrying supplies over the last two months.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet has taken strict notice of the attack on a convoy in Kurram,” KP government spokesman Muhammad Ali Saif said in a statement.
“Some miscreants are making nefarious attempts to disrupt peace. Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed to take strict action against the miscreants.”
Authorities have also been evacuating the injured and ailing from Kurram to Peshawar via helicopters since last month.
“So far, 153 flights have been conducted by two provincial government helicopters to Kurram and around 4,000 people have been provided air transport facility through these flights,” officials told the provincial cabinet.
“To overcome the shortage of essential medicines, 19 thousand kilograms of medicines have been delivered to Kurram so far.”


Pride and excitement surge in Pakistan’s cricket fans ahead of Champions Trophy

Updated 10 min 4 sec ago
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Pride and excitement surge in Pakistan’s cricket fans ahead of Champions Trophy

  • Fans from participating countries expected to flock to Pakistan in large numbers
  • The partial absence of arch-rivals India means it’s not a full diplomatic success

Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi: Excitement mounted for Pakistani cricket fans as the South Asian country prepares to host its first major multi-country cricket tournament in nearly 30 years on Feb. 19. 

Pakistan is hoping hosting the tournament will help erase worries of instability in the country and restore confidence in it as a tourism and investment destination.

Street cricketers in Karachi and Lahore said they were excited about the tournament being held in their backyard.

The Champions Trophy will be the first major tournament to be held in Pakistan since 1996 and will feature the home side and teams from New Zealand, England, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and India.

All have agreed to play in Pakistan except India, which will play its matches in Dubai, including its encounter with Pakistan, the latest in a storied rivalry.

Cricket is a national passion in the countries of South Asia and a major money-spinner in neighboring India.

With fans from the participating countries expected to flock to Pakistan in large numbers, the tournament promises to stabilize Pakistan’s shaky image. However, the partial absence of arch-rivals India means it’s not a full diplomatic success.

The countries have fought three wars since their bloody partition following independence from Britain in 1947.

Their intense rivalry has meant cricket matches between the two are among the most watched sporting contests in the world but they only play each other at multi-nation events.

Meanwhile, cricket fans throughout Pakistan have snatched up Champions Trophy T-shirts as they prepare to watch the tournament.

The Champions Trophy, which kicks off on February 19, comes to Pakistan as the country battles two insurgencies and a political crisis that has sent its former prime minister and greatest cricket hero, Imran Khan, to jail.

But the government and Pakistan’s cricket board believe the elite tournament of one-day games featuring the top eight teams in the world presents one of the most potent image-building opportunities in decades.

Pakistan hosted cricket’s one-day international World Cup as defending champions in 1996 during a period of optimism about sports in the country.

The national team had triumphed in the previous edition under the leadership of Khan, who is now behind bars on corruption charges after falling out with the powerful military, which denies interfering in politics. 


Revived Champions Trophy up for grabs with no clear favorite

Updated 17 February 2025
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Revived Champions Trophy up for grabs with no clear favorite

  • Reigning ODI world champions Australia are among several countries sending weakened contingents 
  • Pakistan are defending champions and hosts as they stage a first global tournament since 1996 World Cup

The sprinkling of stardust over the Champions Trophy may appear somewhat thin on its return to the calendar after eight years but fans can expect a wide open one-day international tournament in the absence of an overwhelming favorite.
The tournament featuring the top eight teams in the ODI format was discontinued by the International Cricket Committee (ICC) after the eighth edition in 2017, when Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Pakistan beat India in the final.
Pakistan are therefore holders as well as hosts as they stage a first global tournament since the 1996 World Cup, even if political tensions mean India will play all their matches, including the March 9 final should they make it, in Dubai.
Reigning ODI world champions Australia are among several countries sending weakened contingents with Steve Smith standing in as captain of a squad featuring a second-string pace attack.
Regular skipper Pat Cummins, fellow quick Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh were all ruled out by injury, while left-arm quick Mitchell Starc withdrew for personal reasons and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has quit ODIs altogether.
Sri Lanka did not make the cut for the Champions Trophy but nevertheless handed the Australians a humbling reality check in the run-up to the tournament with a 2-0 series drubbing.
Reigning Twenty20 world champions India have made the finals of the last three ICC events and Rohit Sharma’s team signaled their fine form by winning seven of eight limited-overs matches against England.
Runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup on home soil, India boast one of the world’s most destructive batting lineups but will be without pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been laid low by a back injury.
Seamer Mohammed Shami’s impressive return to action in the home series against England was a big relief for Rohit, who will also expect vital contributions from spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.

SOUTHEE BACKS NZ

New Zealand will also fancy their chances of claiming the title having won the tri-nation trophy in Pakistan, beating the hosts in the final of a warm-up tournament also featuring 1998 champions South Africa.
Mitchell Santner’s Black Caps side went through the tournament unbeaten and now have a fair idea of the kind of conditions they will face in the Champions Trophy.
“If you look at the track record of New Zealand in ICC events, they are always there or thereabouts,” former New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee told the ICC.
“In a tournament like the Champions Trophy, if you get on a bit of a roll, anything can happen. I’d love to see the Black Caps there and hopefully lifting the trophy at the end.”
England were unable to defend to defend the T20 or ODI World Cup under Jos Buttler and are now licking their wounds after a tour of India where they were blanked 3-0 in the 50-overs matches.
They have already lost the services of Jacob Bethell through a hamstring injury, while their bowling trio of Brydon Carse (toe), Jamie Overton (hamstring) and Jofra Archer (hand) are all nursing fitness issues.
Giant-killers Afghanistan will make their Champions Trophy debut following their sixth place finish in the ODI World Cup in 2023, when they beat former champions England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, who face New Zealand in the tournament opener in Karachi on Wednesday, are hoping a successful Champions Trophy will pave the way open for more such tournaments as the country battles perceptions that it is not safe for visitors.
The icing on the cake would be if Mohammad Rizwan, a stumper-batter like Sarfaraz, could guide Pakistan to a first global title since their Champions Trophy triumph in England eight years ago.


Champions Trophy will rekindle Pakistan’s love of cricket, say former captains

Updated 17 February 2025
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Champions Trophy will rekindle Pakistan’s love of cricket, say former captains

  • Pakistan spent nearly a decade in wilderness after attack on Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009, wounding six players
  • Champions Trophy was discontinued by ICC after the eighth edition in 2017, when Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Pakistan beat India in final

ISLAMABAD: Cricket fans in Pakistan are buzzing ahead of the Champions Trophy and hosting the elite one-day international tournament will rekindle the country’s love affair with the sport, three former captains said.
The event, which features the sport’s top eight sides in the ODI format, begins on Wednesday with the hosts up against New Zealand in Karachi.
It will be the first major global tournament hosted by Pakistan in nearly 30 years and former batting great Inzamam Ul Haq told Reuters there was no escaping the excitement in the lead-up to the event.
“Right now everyone is talking about the Champions Trophy, in schools, houses, markets, offices, everywhere,” he added.
Pakistan spent nearly a decade in the wilderness after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in Lahore in 2009, wounding six players.
Top teams shunned Pakistan after the 2009 attack and it took the Pakistan Cricket Board years to convince foreign counterparts that it was safe to visit.
“The events of 2009 feel like a bad dream,” Inzamam said. “We were punished for 10 years. Our cricket went backwards.”
The national team, captained for the bulk of those years by Misbah Ul Haq, hosted its ‘home’ games in the United Arab Emirates and remained relatively successful until fixtures trickled back onto Pakistani soil in 2018.
“For fans and young cricketers to see the stars playing live is a big deal,” said Misbah, Pakistan’s most successful test captain. “Not having that meant the whole cricket machinery was jammed.”
Former captain Aamer Sohail said the connection between fans and players was evident at Wednesday’s warm-up game against South Africa where Pakistan reeled in the visitors’ 352 to complete their highest successful ODI run chase.
“What was heartening in yesterday’s game is that people turned up and then the players turned up. It was kind of reciprocating, wasn’t it?” added Sohail.
The Champions Trophy was discontinued by the International Cricket Council after the eighth edition in 2017, when Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Pakistan beat India in the final.
Should both teams reach the title decider when it returns to the calendar, Pakistan will not have the advantage of playing at home as India are playing all their matches in Dubai due to political tensions.
“A Pakistan-India match is not just a game of cricket, it’s a game of expectations, of emotions,” said Misbah.
Inzamam recalled a 2004 ODI against India in Karachi where he scored a thrilling hundred in a losing chase.
“I got a standing ovation but so did the Indian team for their performance,” he said. “Supporters from both sides would have wanted to see this match.”
Sohail will forever be remembered for one of the most famous on-field spats with Indian bowler Venkatesh Prasad in the 1996 World Cup quarter-finals, the last major event played in Pakistan.
“It’s not just important for both the countries, I think this rivalry is important for international cricket,” he said.