DAYS after the Pakistan cricket team received a warm welcome in India where it has reached for the upcoming 50-over World Cup and appreciated the hospitality, the chairperson of the country's cricket board referred to the host nation as a "dushman mulk" (enemy country).
In a video that went viral on social media, the top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, Zaka Ashraf, was heard telling mediapersons about his country's players going to "dusman mulk" for tournaments. He was speaking about the board's recent contract with the cricketers.
"We gave these contracts to our players with love and affection. Never in the history of Pakistan, such an amount of money has been given to players. My aim was to keep the players' morale high as they go to countries, the enemy country ('Dushman Mulk') for competitions," the 71-year-old Ashraf was heard saying.
Earlier this week, the PCB confirmed in a press release negotiating successfully a three-year central contacts deal with its senior players that will run from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. Twenty-five cricketers will be offered a momentous deal that will include a portion of the International Cricket Council's revenue, it added.
Ashraf's remarks met ire on either side of the border with many in Pakistan also slamming the PCB chairman for his remark.
"Shame on PCB chairman on calling India "Dushman mulk* despite a warm welcome from them, zaka ashraf is the real dhusman of our team. Dear Indian don't take him serious, he just a political tout that's why he was made chairman. #PAKvNZ #PakistanCricketTeam," said a Pakistani cricket fan Tehseenqasim in a post on X.
Another cricket fan in Pakistan described the statement from the PCB Chief as irresponsible and that India is not their enemy.
Pakistan were playing their first warm-up game against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Friday (29) and will take on Australia at the same venue on Tuesday (3).
They play their first match in the World Cup against the Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6.
Here are some reactions that Ashraf's remarks saw from Pakistani fans:
A 1996 photo of rapper Tupac Shakur (L) and Marion "Suge" Knight is shown on screens during closing arguments in the Duane Davis murder trial, related to the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, at Clark County District Court at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, on August 31, 2026. Getty Images
A rescuer assists a resident through heavy mud following flash floods on August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing, as the death toll started to climb.Getty Images
Rescue personnel provide medical treatment to a child at an army rescue camp in Trishuli Batar, Nepal, on August 27, 2026. A sudden flood swept through the Bhote Koshi River basin in northern Rasuwa on August 26, damaging settlements, roads and energy infrastructure, as rescue teams searched for residents and foreign travellers reported out of contact. Hundreds were reported missing as the death toll began to climb. Getty Ima
Family members of missing flood victims react at the emergency ward of the Maharajgunj Medical Campus, part of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, on August 28, 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Authorities said the flash floods were triggered after a mass of ice, mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river near the Nepal-China border, leaving hundreds dead or missing and causing widespread damage in affected districts. Authorities continued the gruelling search for victims, many buried under metres of mud, as both China and Nepal issued fresh flooding alerts.Getty Images