First, Star came out with an advertisement where an Indian supporter describes himself as Pakistan's "abbu" (father), referring to India's domination over their rivals in the showpiece event.
In response to that, Pakistan's Jazz TV used a spoof of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman to create hype over the match.
After that, another promotional video came which showed an Indian fan shooting down the tyre of a Pakistan supporter's bike who mocked him while asking for petrol to reach the airport.
And now, another video has come in which an Indian and a Pakistani fan are seated at a barber shop. The actor sporting the Pakistani jersey, addresses the Indian as "abbu" and gives him a handkerchief which the latter would be requiring once the Men in Blue lose in Sunday's marquee clash in Manchester.
Agitated by this, the barber gives the Pakistani "the Abhinandan cut" -- the signature moustache of the Indian Air Force pilot -- instead of a cut like Shahid Afridi.
Towards the end of the video, the Indian fan tells his Pakistani counterpart, "This game is so unique. It only takes a day for a father to make his son realize that they cannot win the World Cup. You (Pakistanis) remain content with the tea cup left by Abhinandan."
Tennis star Sania Mirza and celebrity commentator Harsha Bhogle have called the advertisements "cringeworthy" saying there was no need to "hype up" the India-Pakistan match with rubbish.
"Cringeworthy ads on both sides of the border. Seriously guys, you don't need to 'hype up' or market the match anymore specially with rubbish! It has enough attention already! It's only cricket for God sake, and if you think it's anymore than that then get a grip or get a life!!," tweeted Sania on Wednesday.
"I am disappointed by the pettiness and jingoism that India versus Pakistan at cricket is being reduced to. Hopefully it will be over after tomorrow's game," said Bhogle on Twitter on Saturday.
Pakistan also decided it will not send its High Commissioner-designate Moin ul-Haq to Delhi, where he was slated to take charge.
In a formal statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said: "Pursuant to the decision of the National Security Committee today, the Government of India has been told to withdraw its High Commissioner to Pakistan.
"The Indian Government has also been informed that Pakistan will not be sending its High Commissioner-designate to India."
Trump on Monday spoke separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Khan in his bid to ease fresh Indo-Pak tensions after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Trump's suggestion to Khan came as Prime Minister Modi during his telephonic conversation with the US president conveyed that "extreme rhetoric and incitement" to anti-India violence by certain leaders in the region was not conducive to peace.
After his 30-minute conversation with Modi, Trump held a telephonic conversation with Khan, the second in less than a week.
Trump spoke with Khan to discuss "the need to reduce tensions and moderate rhetoric with India over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir," the White House said in a readout of the call.
Continuing with his tirade against India over the Kashmir issue, Khan on Sunday had called the Indian government "fascist" and "supremacist", alleging that it poses a threat to Pakistan as well as to the minorities in India.
He also said the world must also seriously consider the safety and security of India's nuclear arsenal as it impacts not just the region but the world.
During the conversation with Khan, Trump "reaffirmed the need to avoid escalation of the situation, and urged restraint" on both sides, the White House said.
The two leaders also agreed to work towards strengthening US-Pakistan economic and trade cooperation, it added.
"Spoke to my two good friends, Prime Minister Modi of India, and Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan, regarding trade, strategic partnerships and, most importantly, for India and Pakistan to work towards reducing tensions in Kashmir," Trump said in a tweet late on Monday.
"A tough situation, but good conversations!" he said.
White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley said Trump spoke with Modi to "discuss regional developments" and the US-India strategic partnership.
The president conveyed the importance of reducing tensions between India and Pakistan, and maintaining peace in the region, he said.
"The two leaders further discussed how they will continue to strengthen United States-India economic ties through increased trade, and they look forward to meeting again soon," Gidley added.
In his telephonic conversation with Trump, Modi highlighted the importance of creating an environment free from terror and violence and eschewing cross-border terrorism without exception, a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) release said in New Delhi on Monday.
The conversation between Modi and Trump took place two days after the US president asked Khan to resolve the Kashmir issue with India bilaterally.
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after India abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, evoking strong reactions from Pakistan.
By Lalit K Jha
Tensions between India and Pakistan spiked after New Delhi abrogated provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories on August 5.
"The United States is watching the situation in Kashmir very closely. We are continuing to call for calm and restraint, including on rhetoric," a senior administration official said ahead of the bilateral meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit in France over the weekend.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was an internal matter and also advised Pakistan to accept the reality.
According to the official, Trump is "very focused" on the situation in Kashmir because of the broader implications of the developments in Jammu and Kashmir and the potential for increased stability in the region.
"What he (Trump) has indicated that he is ready to assist if both sides are interested in helping to reduce their tension. But we just know that India has not requested any formal mediation, the official said requesting anonymity.
The official said that President Trump, during his meeting with Modi in France will likely want to hear how he intends to calm regional tensions in the aftermath of his decisions on Kashmir.
"The president will likely want to hear from Prime Minister Modi on how he plans to reduce regional tensions and uphold respect for human rights in Kashmir, as part of India's role as the world's largest democracy," he said.
Trump on Tuesday said that he was willing to either mediate or do something to resolve the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan.
But New Delhi has made it clear to the US that Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and there was no role for a third party.
According to the official, in light of this significant move by Modi on Kashmir, the president is likely to stress the need for dialogue among all sides of the conflict and he hopes that India will lift communication and movement restrictions in Kashmir and exercise utmost restrain in dealing with potential protests.
Trump has said that he is friends with both the leaders of India and Pakistan and stands ready to assist if they both would like him to do so", the official said.
"Certainly, president Trump is also calling on Pakistan to prevent infiltration of militants across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir and to crack down on groups on its territory that have attacked India in the past, said the official.
Trump, the official said, is very much looking forward to his meetings with Prime Minister Modi where they will discuss the strategic partnership and how they can cooperate more closely on issues like defence cooperation, counterterrorism and trade.
"We expect the two leaders to build on a very productive discussion they had in Osaka at the G-20 as well as the phone call that they held earlier this week. They will look for solutions on the trade front. The US is looking to India to reduce tariffs and open its market," said the official.
By Lalit K Jha
Mohammed Usman and Sivakumar, who hail from Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively, approached the travel agent Noor Mohammed to get a job overseas, pay their debts and come back home, the Khaleej Times reported.
Initially, the duo were not supposed to go to the UAE. The travel agent asked both of them to pay Rs 200,000 each for the processing of their visas to Australia.
At first, they were provided with tickets to Thailand, telling them that their Australian visa would arrive soon. However, they were not allowed to enter Thailand as they did not meet the requirements for visa-on-arrival.
Stranded at the airport, the duo returned to India after making a distress call and asking their relatives to purchase return tickets for them.
After returning, Usman and Sivakumar asked the agent to return their money which was almost Rs 7,00,000 each, but the agent claimed that their visa to Australia was ready and travelling through the UAE was a better route.
When they reached the UAE, they were given accommodation in Ajman, one of the emirates of the UAE. The agent gave them Dh50 (Rs 979), left the country and never returned, the paper said.
They struggled in the UAE since and looked for job until Mohammed Asadullah, a Pakistani national, came to their rescue.
"We arrived here on May 1, expecting a better life. Now, we live in the cramped quarters of an old villa. We have overstayed for quite a long time and don't know what to do. We believed our travel agent, but he duped us," Usman said.
Asadullah, the Pakistani owner of the villa, where the duo have been staying, has not charged rent and gave them free food, Sivakumar was quoted as saying by the paper.
"Sharing my food with them is the least I could do. I have been asking my Indian friends to help these guys find a way out. Being an illegal resident is a crime in the UAE. And if they can sort that out faster, the better," he said.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have soared since February 14 when a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) killed 40 CRPF personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district.
India bombed the biggest JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 in an aerial combat.
Indo-Pak relations dipped further after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan responded by downgrading diplomatic ties with New Delhi.
The corridor links Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur in India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak.
The Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib is located across Ravi river in Pakistan and is about four km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
The inauguration of the corridor comes in the midst of frayed ties between India and Pakistan following New Delhi's decision in August to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.
Prime Minister Imran Khan will inaugurate the corridor on the Pakistani side while his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will attend a similar event on the Indian side.
"This is a momentous occasion for us. We are so happy. The corridor should have been built long back," said Manjit Singh, a Sikh from Gurudaspur.
In an interaction with a group of Indian journalists, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday termed as "historic" the opening of the corridor but made it clear that the initiative was not an indication of Pakistan's willingness to engage in dialogue with India.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister called the Kartarpur Corridor initiative a shining example and gesture of goodwill from Prime Minister Khan, saying it is a reflection of his deep respect for Sikhism and Guru Nanak.
Notwithstanding their strained ties over Kashmir, India and Pakistan signed an agreement last month, paving the way for the inauguration of the Kartarpur corridor. According to the pact, Pakistan will allow 5,000 Indian pilgrims daily to visit Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
On August 5, India announced the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir''s special status under Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Pakistan reacted angrily to the decision and even expelled Indian High Commissioner to Islamabad
In a wide-ranging interview with French daily Le Monde, the minister said Pakistan does not deny sending terrorists to India.
"The relationship is difficult since many years, mainly because Pakistan has developed an important terrorist industry and sends terrorists to India to carry out attacks. Pakistan itself does not deny this situation," he said, in response to a question about Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's recent statement that relations with India are "close to zero".
"Now, tell me: which country would be willing to talk and negotiate with a neighbour who openly practices terrorism against it... We need actions that demonstrate a real willingness to cooperate.
"For example, there are Indians wanted for terrorist activities living in Pakistan. We are telling Pakistan: hand them over to us," he said, in a clear reference to criminals like underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
Dawood, originally from Dongri in Mumbai, is wanted for murder, extortion, targeted killing, drug trafficking, terrorism and various other cases. His name figured in the United Nations Security Council's updated list of terrorists and militant groups in 2018.
On the situation in Kashmir, Jaishankar said the "reforms" in August, when India revoked Article 370 to withdraw the special status of the region, led to some precautionary measures to avert the danger of violent reactions from radical and separatist elements but that the situation was now returning to normal.
"These restrictions have been gradually reduced, and as the situation normalises, telephone and mobile lines have been restored, shops are open and apple harvest is under way. The situation is back to normal," he said, adding that foreign journalists would be welcome to the region as soon as things are safe.
Asked about the tide of "nationalism" in India, Jaishankar reiterated that India's nationalism should not be viewed through western lens.
"Each country has a different understanding of nationalism, a different history. In the United States, it has an isolationist connotation. In Asia, at least in India, nationalism is a positive word," he said.
On a question related to tensions arising out of nationalism for minorities, he reiterated: "It is my country that defines my nationality, not my religion, nor my caste, nor my language.
"The concept of nation is different. In India, we are in a sense a civilization state, with natural, linguistic, ethnic and religious diversity. We have never considered uniformity as a necessity or an aspiration. There are few places in the world where you will see so many people with so many beliefs co-existing."
In the interview which covered a wide spectrum of topics, from India-China relations to the India-US dynamic, the external affairs minister was categorical about India's growing importance in a world where power will be more dispersed across a range of actors.
"We are in a completely different world. We tend to consider the post-1945 bipolar world and the post-1992 American world as the norm. But look at the history of the world. Things change, nothing is engraved in stone. This world will be different, power will be more dispersed, there will be more actors," he said.
Asked if Europe would be one such actor, he noted that India would be in favour of that.
"We are a deeply democratic country in a democratic world, Europe must have a greater role," he said.
On India and China, the minister said that both countries shared a common interest in making the world more inclusive and a re-balancing of the world requires re-balancing with Asia, and in Asia, which covers primarily with India and China.
"We are two great countries and it is in our common interest to have good relationships," he said.