- By Pallavi Mishra
- Tue, 23 Sep 2025 12:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JNM
Fact Check: A photograph viral on social media claims to show former Indian PM Dr Manmohan Singh shaking hands with the Pakistani cricket team shortly after the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
Vishvas News investigated and found this claim to be misleading. The photo dates back to March 30, 2011, when then-Prime Minister Singh, former Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, and then-ICC President Sharad Pawar met the Pakistani cricket team ahead of the India-Pakistan ODI World Cup semi-final in Mohali, Punjab. The Mumbai attacks happened in 2008.
What is going viral?
Facebook user ‘Anil Matoliya Sujangarh’ shared the viral photo on September 18, 2025, with the caption, "Immediately after the 26/11 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistani cricket team visited India. Then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was present to welcome the Pakistani cricket team. Sharad Pawar is also seen with him. Don't teach patriotism to Congress sycophants and Modi devotees; keep your sycophancy to yourself."
The archived link of the post can be accessed here.
Investigation
To verify the viral claim, we performed a reverse image search of the photo using Google Lens. The picture appeared in a gallery on India.com dated December 28, 2024, with the caption, "Dr Manmohan Singh with the Pakistani cricket team during the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali during the 2011 ICC World Cup."
The same image was also found on Mid Day, with the same claim that it was from the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final in Mohali in 2011.
A keyword search led to several reports about this match. According to these reports, on March 30, 2011, before the India-Pakistan ODI World Cup semi-final in Mohali, Punjab, Dr Singh, Gilani, and Pawar met the Pakistani cricket team.
26/11 Mumbai Attacks
On November 26, 2008, Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists carried out coordinated attacks across several locations in Mumbai, killing over 166 people and injuring over 300.
India-Pakistan Cricket Matches After the Mumbai Attacks
The November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks directly affected the cricketing relations between India and Pakistan. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cancelled the bilateral series scheduled for January 2009 in Pakistan. Following that, the two teams met only twice before the 2011 World Cup semi-final (the match from which the viral photo originates) on September 26, 2009, at the ICC Champions Trophy in Centurion, South Africa, and on June 19, 2010, in an Asia Cup group match in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. However, there is no record of Dr Singh attending either of these matches.
For further clarity, we contacted sports analyst, journalist, and commentator Syed Hussain, who confirmed that the photo was taken during the Mohali semi-final in 2011.
Lastly, we scanned the Facebook account of the user ‘Anil Matoliya Sujangarh’, who shared the photo with the misleading claim and found that the user has over 8000 followers.
Conclusion: This photo of Dr Manmohan Singh shaking hands with the Pakistani cricket team is from March 30, 2011, not immediately after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. It was taken before the India-Pakistan World Cup semi-final match in Mohali.