ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday any talks with India over sporting ties would only take place on an equal footing, stressing that his country would not seek negotiations with its neighbor.

Political tensions between the two nuclear-armed states, including a four-day military conflict earlier this year, have spilled into sports, with India announcing this week it would no longer allow any bilateral sporting clash with Pakistan. Instead, teams from both countries will only meet in multilateral tournaments.

Initially, New Delhi’s restriction was only limited to cricket.

“We are very clear that whenever talks [on sporting ties] are held with India, they will be on an equal footing,” Naqvi told reporters in Lahore when asked about New Delhi’s latest decision

“There will be no more begging for negotiations,” he continued. “That time has gone. Whatever happens will be on the basis of equality.”

The PCB chief also voiced hope that Pakistan’s players would put up a strong performance in their Asia Cup cricket clash against India, scheduled for the coming month in the United Arab Emirates.

Cricket, the most popular sport in both countries, has long been a casualty of fraught relations.

In recent years, the two boards have followed a “hybrid model” in which tournaments hosted by Pakistan had some of the matches shifted to neutral venues to accommodate India’s refusal to tour.

Pakistan, which urged India not to let politics overshadow cricket, sent its men’s team for the 2023 One-Day International World Cup in India.

However, this time round, as India prepares to host the Women’s World Cup, Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo.

India has also hardened its stance further since the May military standoff, with New Delhi now issuing a formal ban on any bilateral sporting encounters.