Pakistani Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem has declined to comment on fellow javelin thrower and two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra’s recent remarks, saying he stands with his country’s army amid the ongoing tension between the two estranged neighbours. The statement came days before Arshad’s departure for the Asian Athletics Championships.

Replying to a query about Neeraj’s recent comments, Arshad said, “I don’t want to make any comments about Neeraj because of the ongoing conflict with India. I come from a village, and I will only say that my family and I will always stand with our army.”

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Earlier, Neeraj had distanced himself from the Pakistani thrower, saying his relationship with Arshad Nadeem was never close and indicated that recent events had changed things further.

Ahead of the Doha Diamond League, where the Indian finally managed to breach the long-awaited 90m mark, to finish second with a 90.23m throw, Neeraj had said, “I want to clarify that I don’t have a particularly strong relationship with Nadeem – we were never really close friends. But because of the current situation, things will not be as they were. That said, if someone speaks to me with respect, I always respond in kind.”

Neeraj had earlier invited the Pakistani thrower to the Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics-sanctioned event that was scheduled to take place in Bengaluru but has now been postponed.

The invitation was sent before the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, in which 26 tourists were killed. Following the attack, Neeraj faced backlash from some social media users for including Arshad in the event lineup.

In retaliation to the Pahalgam incident, India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terror camps operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir. The situation led to increased tensions along the border before both countries agreed to a ceasefire.

Both Neeraj and Arshad have been fierce competitors on the field for long, with the Pakistani thrower surpassing defending champion and overwhelming favourite Neeraj for the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a monster throw of 92.97m.