Pakistan will not play India in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced, accusing New Delhi of dragging politics into sports and saying his country has chosen to stand firmly with Bangladesh.

Speaking to cabinet members on Wednesday, Sharif said Pakistan’s position was “absolutely clear” — there would be no match against India. He stressed that cricket grounds should remain free from political influence.

Referring to Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament, the prime minister said the decision had been taken after careful consideration. “We believe it is right to stand fully with Bangladesh,” he said, calling the move appropriate and principled.

Bangladesh was removed from the T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after raising security concerns about sending its team to India. Pakistan’s decision to boycott the India match was announced last week, but this was the first time the government publicly explained the reasoning behind it. Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had criticised what it described as the ICC’s inconsistent policies.

The 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on 7 February, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. An India–Pakistan match was set for 15 February in Colombo. However, a post from the Pakistani government’s official X account on Sunday confirmed that Pakistan would not take part in the fixture.

While the PCB has not issued a formal statement, the ICC responded by urging Pakistan to reconsider, warning of potential “long-term consequences”.

Bangladesh had earlier decided not to travel to India for the World Cup after cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL amid threats from extremist groups. Dhaka requested a venue change to Sri Lanka on 4 January, but the ICC rejected the request, calling the incident isolated and irrelevant.

Bangladesh’s interim government later said neither the ICC nor the Indian authorities had adequately addressed security concerns. After Bangladesh stood by its refusal to tour India, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in the tournament.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi questioned why Bangladesh’s security concerns were ignored when similar issues involving India and Pakistan had been considered in the past, calling the situation unfair. He had earlier supported Bangladesh during an ICC board vote on changing the venue.