PCB clarifies absence of Indian flag at Karachi stadium before Champions Trophy 2025
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has responded to the controversy surrounding the absence of the Indian flag at the National Stadium in Karachi, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
A PCB source stated on Monday that only the flags of teams scheduled to play in Pakistan have been hoisted at stadiums. "There is no need for the PCB to issue an official statement on this. The entire debate is based on misinformation and appears to be an attempt to tarnish Pakistan’s image as the host nation," a PCB official told IANS.
The official clarified that the National Stadium in Karachi, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore have only displayed the flags of teams playing at those venues.
The controversy emerged after social media users noticed that India's flag was missing from Karachi's stadium, despite the presence of flags from other participating nations. A video highlighting this went viral, leading to speculation that the omission was intentional, allegedly in response to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision not to send the Indian team to Pakistan.
The BCCI had earlier cited security concerns and political tensions as reasons for not traveling to Pakistan, prompting the ICC to adopt a hybrid model for the tournament. As a result, all of India’s matches will be played in Dubai.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
