NEW DELHI: Indian athletes will be free to decide for themselves whether to shake hands or exchange hands with their Pakistani counterparts during the CWG, while accepting gifts or presents from the neighboring country’s players has been ruled out, TOI has learnt.With the Indian and Pakistani contingents mostly staying in the same hotels under Glasgow’s ‘zone-based’ accommodation system instead of a traditional Athletes’ Village concept, interactions between athletes from the two countries are expected to be inevitable at the Games.It is learned that the issue was discussed with Indian sports officials in Glasgow as part of the contingent’s internal deliberations. While accepting gifts or presents from athletes in Pakistan is expressly prohibited, the decision to shake hands and exchange greetings is left to the individual judgment of the athletes and, in some cases, the guidance of their respective national sports federations (NSFs). No formal instructions have been issued by the authorities in this matter.In athletics, for example, India’s star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and Pakistan’s reigning CWG champion Arshad Nadeem stayed at the same hotel in Zone 3 ahead of their competition, making interactions between the two likely.Different games, however, adopt different methods. It is understood that lawn bowls officials have told Indian players that there is no issue with shaking hands, high-fiving or exchanging congratulations with Pakistani opponents. Some of the other NSFs expressed similar sentiments.India’s approach to sports engagement with Pakistan has long distinguished between bilateral competition and multinational events. While bilateral sporting ties remain suspended, athletes from both countries continue to compete against each other in international multi-sport events. In cricket, Indian and Pakistani players have avoided the customary pre-match and post-match handshakes in recent years. In contrast, the junior hockey teams from the two countries exchanged high fives after their match in the Sultan of Johor Cup.