India-Pakistan crisis deepens: Arshad Nadeem declines Neeraj Chopra's invitation after Pahalgam terror attack

Pakistan's Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem will not compete at the Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru this May, according to local media reports in Pakistan. He has declined Neeraj’s personal invitation following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which killed at least 26 tourists on April 22.

However, Arshad did not cite the Pahalgam terror attack as the reason for his absence.

“I have declined the invitation as my schedule was finalised a year earlier, and I am going to attend an Asian meet in South Korea from May 27,” Telecom Asia Sport quoted the javelin player as saying.

Scheduled to take place at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on May 24, the Neeraj Chopra Classic is a first-of-its-kind one-day javelin event named after an athlete. Neeraj is a two-time Olympic medallist in javelin — gold at Tokyo 2020 and silver at Paris 2024.

Along with other top javelin throwers in the world, Neeraj personally invited Arshad to be a part of the event. “Yes, I have spoken to Arshad Nadeem. He said he would discuss it with his coach and confirm. But as of now, he hasn't confirmed,” Neeraj told reporters.

But as it seems, the Pahalgam terror attack might have jeopardised Arshad's first trip to India. Although Pakistan's Defence Minister Khwaja Asif denied any involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack, “The Resistance Front” (TRF) an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba has taken responsibility for the massacre.

India has taken a strong stance on matters related to Pakistan, and in the case of Arshad's participation, it appears that the Government of India will carefully consider whether to allow the Paris Olympics gold medallist to enter.

Indo-Pak sporting ties have been in last decade

Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have impacted both countries' sporting engagements. While India has not sent any athletes or sports teams to Pakistan in over a decade, citing security concerns, it has allowed Pakistani teams to visit only a few times on special occasions.

The last time a Pakistan sports team came to India was in 2023 when a Babar Azam-led side was allowed to play in the ICC ODI World Cup. The same year, the Pakistan men's hockey team came to India to play in the Champions Trophy in Chennai. 

In fact, the Indian team recently (in February 2025) didn't travel to Pakistan to play in the ICC Champions Trophy. India played all their matches in Dubai instead. In the case of Arshad, the Pakistani javelin champion, he will need both the government's clearance to be able to enter India. No official statements have been made yet.

Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem rivalry

Neeraj has been competing against Arshad at several top events for almost a decade. They first met in 2016 during the South Asian Games in Guwahati, where the Indian won gold while Arshad settled for bronze. Overall, Neeraj holds a commanding 9-1 head-to-head record against his Pakistani opponent.

Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem head-to-head