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DUBAI: Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said they were disappointed by India’s decision not to shake hands after Sunday’s politically-charged Asia Cup match between the bitter neighbors.

India won the Group A encounter by seven wickets in the first cricket match between the sides since a four-day military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May.

While the match itself passed without incident, there was no shaking of hands between the captains at the toss or among the players at the end.

“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” Hesson told reporters.

“We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.

“That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”

Pakistan captain Salman Agha did not attend the presentation ceremony, which New Zealander Hesson said was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav dedicated their victory to their armed forces at the ceremony, and expressed solidarity with the victims of the April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir which triggered the conflict.

In the post-match press conference, Suryakumar said the players were aligned with the Indian cricket board and government.

“We took a call (on not shaking hands). We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply,” said the batter.

Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan remains suspended since 2013 and the arch-rivals play each other only in multi-team tournaments.

Sunday’s match went ahead despite calls in India for the team to boycott it.

India could face Pakistan twice more at the tournament, including in the September 28 final should the teams advance that far.

ISLAMABAD: The overall death toll from monsoon rains in Pakistan since late June has risen to 985, officials said on Monday, as floodwaters receded in Punjab and continued their march downstream toward the southern Sindh province.

The flooding in Punajb, triggered by heavy monsoon rains and excess water released from Indian dams, has inundated thousands of villages, displaced millions, and is now consolidating into a flood wave moving down the Indus River system. Authorities say the pressure has shifted from Punjab, the country’s agricultural heartland and most populous province, toward Sindh, where the Guddu and Sukkur barrages — two of the main control points on the Indus — are bracing for high inflows in the coming days.

According to official figures, nationwide 985 deaths have occurred from flash floods, house collapses, landslides and other rain-related incidents since June 26 when this year’s monsoon season began. The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province recorded the highest toll with 504 fatalities, followed by Punjab with 287, Sindh 80, Gilgit-Baltistan 41, Azad Kashmir 38, Balochistan 26 and Islamabad, the federal capital, nine.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority said Punjab alone has reported 104 deaths since late August as swollen rivers inundated thousands of villages.

“Due to severe flooding in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers, more than 4,700 villages have been affected,” Punjab Relief Commissioner Nabil Javed was quoted as saying in a Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) report.

According to the PDMA, flooding in the Chenab affected 2,484 villages, in the Sutlej 719 villages, and in the Ravi 1,458 villages. Javed said around 4.72 million people had been affected in total, with 2.56 million evacuated to safer locations.

Authorities have set up 372 relief camps, 454 medical camps and 385 veterinary camps across affected districts, while nearly 2.07 million livestock have also been moved to safety.

The PDMA said water levels have “receded considerably” in Punjab’s Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers, with most stations now in the normal to medium range. At Chenab’s Trimmu Headworks and at upstream points such as Marala, Khanki and Qadirabad, flows have returned to normal levels.

Panjnad, however, remains in a very high flood at 369,085 cusecs, though receding compared with its peak on September 11–12. Panjnad is the southern Punjab confluence where all five major rivers, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, merge before joining the Indus River.

At Sindh’s Guddu Barrage, inflows were reported at 635,759 cusecs and outflows at 606,489 cusecs, with levels expected to rise to 650,000–700,000 cusecs by late September 15.

“The flood will remain across Sindh through September before sinking into the Arabian Sea by month’s end,” the PDMA said.

It warned that “current stress has shifted to Kandhkot, Ubaro, Kashmore, Ghotki, while proximity near Jamshoro, Qambar Shahdadkot and later Hyderabad–Thatta corridor will successively bear the downstream stress.”

The PDMA added that Sukkur Barrage was likely to receive 600,000 cusecs by September 17–18, with Kotri Barrage expected to see peak discharges of 400,000–450,000 cusecs by September 24–26. Sukkur is the largest irrigation barrage in Pakistan, while Kotri is the final control point before the Indus empties into the Arabian Sea.

Heavy rains and flooding have also caused power disruptions across Punjab. 

The Ministry of Water and Power reported 51 grid stations and 543 feeders affected, with 309 feeders fully restored and 226 partially restored.

Pakistan’s recent flooding has revived memories of the 2022 deluge, which killed more than 1,700 people, displaced millions and caused damages of over $30 billion.

Despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, the South Asian country consistently ranks among the nations most vulnerable to climate change.