Blind women from India and arch-rival Pakistan put aside political tensions on Sunday, November 16, shaking hands in neutral Sri Lanka at a cricket tournament for the visually impaired.

At what organisers describe as the world’s first blind women’s T20 tournament, players from the two South Asian neighbours demonstrated sportsmanship despite their lack of sight, unlike their regular national teams.

Tensions both on and off the field have been high since a deadly military clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.

India’s men refused to shake hands with their Pakistani opponents at the Asia Cup in September, and neither side has shown signs of reconciliation since then.

This animosity extended to the women’s teams, who declined any greeting at the recent T20 World Cup, and to Su

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