For a time, they symbolized a rare thread of friendship in the tangled fabric of Indo-Pak relations—two athletes, a handshake, a smile, a shared passion for javelin.
But now, with the Paris skyline behind him and the haunting memory of the Pahalgam terror attack fresh in the minds of millions, India’s Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra has drawn a clear line.
“We were never really close friends,” Chopra told reporters bluntly, quietly dissolving the long-standing public perception of camaraderie between him and Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem.
The timing of this statement was no coincidence. As Chopra prepared for his upcoming Diamond League appearance, it was his first interaction with the media following widespread backlash over his invitation to Nadeem for the now-postponed Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru.
The invitation had been extended before the April terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians. But once the news broke, criticism poured in.
Social media erupted with accusations questioning Chopra’s patriotism. Even his family wasn’t spared.
Chopra, however, responded with grace and composure. “I don’t share a deep bond with Nadeem,” he reiterated, not in anger but in clarity. “But if someone speaks to me with respect, I return it.”
This wasn’t Chopra’s first moment of navigating diplomacy through sports. After the Tokyo Olympics, where he claimed gold and Nadeem finished fifth, their show of mutual respect made global headlines.
The two were even photographed together in Budapest at the 2023 World Championships, where a Pakistani flag was missing, and Nadeem stood beside Chopra, the Indian tricolour as their backdrop.
It was a symbolic moment—perhaps too symbolic.
That perception began to unravel when Nadeem posted “Pakistan Zindabad” on X (formerly Twitter) soon after the Pahalgam tragedy. Though it was likely a patriotic expression unrelated to the attack, it was ill-timed and angered many in India.
Pakistani media, meanwhile, had long spun a narrative around Chopra and Nadeem’s supposed brotherhood, with Nadeem’s mother even calling Neeraj “like my son.” Chopra’s mother, Saroj Devi, had once echoed a similar sentiment, praising Nadeem as “also my child.”
In a different political climate, such warmth might have been celebrated. But in the aftermath of Pahalgam, it turned controversial.
Chopra emphasized that the invitation to Nadeem was sent before the terror attack and that the Neeraj Chopra Classic was intended to be an apolitical celebration of athletics, bringing world-class talent to India. But nuance often drowns in the noise of nationalism.
“It hurts when your loyalty to the country is questioned,” Chopra said in an earlier statement. “For me, the nation always comes first.”
Nadeem, meanwhile, cited a scheduling conflict for missing the Classic. But his absence was soon overshadowed by the broader geopolitical implications that overshadowed their relationship.
Over the years, Chopra had gone out of his way to support Nadeem. He had once publicly called for better training equipment for the Pakistani athlete, expressing disbelief at the lack of support Nadeem received.
He had also defended him during the Tokyo Games when controversy erupted after footage showed Nadeem using Chopra’s javelin.
Those actions were generous, sporting gestures from a man whose grace has never been in doubt. But in today’s climate, they feel like remnants of a more innocent time.
“In sports, we talk, we compete, we respect,” Chopra said. “But sometimes, external circumstances shift the nature of these relationships.”
His tone was calm. There was no anger, no accusation—just a quiet severing of the imagined bond.
For a brief moment in history, Chopra and Nadeem stood as rare figures of unity, showing that even in rivalry, mutual respect could flourish across borders.
That connection, while never as personal as the public believed, had carried symbolic weight.
Now, it’s another thread lost in the complex and often volatile relationship between India and Pakistan—a subtle but powerful reflection of how even the purest of sporting connections can be tested by the fires of geopolitics.
