India's flag flies high in Karachi stadium; PCB resolves controversy ahead of Champions Trophy
Just days after a controversy erupted due to the absence of India's flag at Karachi's National Stadium ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy, it appears that the issue has been addressed.
No Indian flag in Karachi: As only the Indian team faced security issues in Pakistan and refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan, the PCB removed the Indian flag from the Karachi stadium while keeping the flags of the other guest playing nations.
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Recent visuals shared on social media show that India's flag has now been displayed alongside those of other participating nations at the stadium.
Many theories were speculated when India's flag was missing from the venue before the start of the event, but it seems everything is in order now.
As social media buzzed with criticism over Pakistan's decision not to raise India's flag, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brushed aside the controversy, stating that only the flags of the countries participating in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan were displayed at the stadiums.
A PCB source told IANS, "As you know, India will not be playing its matches in Pakistan during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The flags of the countries playing at the respective venues, including the National Stadium in Karachi, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, and Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, have been raised."
When asked about the absence of flags for India, Bangladesh, and other participating countries at the Karachi and Lahore stadiums, the source clarified, "The Indian team will play its matches in Dubai, so their flag was not raised here.
India's flag raised at the National Stadium in Karachi. What a moment 🇵🇰🇮🇳♥️♥️
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Additionally, the Bangladesh team has not yet arrived in Pakistan, as they will play their first match against India in Dubai.
Therefore, their flags haven't been hoisted either. The flags of the nations currently in Pakistan and playing here have been displayed."
The controversy also prompted a reaction from the BCCI vice chairman Rajeev Shukla, who stressed the importance of confirming whether India's flag was initially absent.
If it was, he suggested it should have been raised.
"First, it should be confirmed whether the Indian flag was there or not. If it wasn’t, then it should have been put up. All participating nations' flags should have been displayed," Shukla told Livemint on the sidelines of the Restaurant Cricket League in Delhi.
