No bilateral series, but India will ‘engage’ in sporting contests with Pakistan
In what can be termed as a clear-cut statement from the Indian Government, a firm decision has been taken not to engage with Pakistan in any bilateral sporting contest, cricket, or otherwise. However, that does not mean India will not engage in the field of play with Pakistan, across sports, when it comes to events where multi-nations are involved.
This news comes on Wednesday, two days after there have been massive social media reactions on why India should be playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket event in Dubai in September. As per a social media post on Thursday afternoon, it is clear that India will engage with Pakistan in events like cricket, be it the Asia Cup, or any event sanctioned by the ICC (International Cricket Council) as well as other international sports federations.
“India’s approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country. In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in Pakistan,” say a post on X. At the same time, the Indian Government is also clear it will not permit Pakistan to play any sporting contest in India, which is purely a bilateral series. “With regard to international and multilateral events, in India, or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons. It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sporting events. Accordingly, India teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have players or teams from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India,” said a statement put out on social media.
It is clear, the lack of clarity till now has been erased. For those who have been cursing the Indian cricket team and the BCCI for agreeing to play the Asia Cup, it will go ahead. The Indian Government stand is now clear, there will be no restriction on cricket, hockey or other sports events, as long as it involves other countries as well. For its part, the Indian Government has already made it clear it will never allow the team to travel to Pakistan, as was the case during the Champions Trophy earlier this year. The event had to be moved to Dubai, where the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was the official host.
There are more events coming up in the next few years, with India set to host the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026. In addition, India will also be hosting more sports events, across the board. There is news emanating Pakistan will not send its team to India for the Junior Hockey World Cup, an FIH event, to be held from November 28 to December 10, this year, in Chennai and Kovilpatti, Tamil Nadu.
If that be the case and Pakistan does stick to its decision, India is not at fault. There will be no blanket visa refusals from India is the message which has been sent out, though there will be a proper screening process for athletes and officials. Post the Pahalgam terror attack where innocent tourists were killed, allegedly by extremists from across the border, there has been a cry for no sporting ties with Pakistan. A month back, the Indian seniors were to play Pakistan in a cricket contest in the USA and then halted it. The call of ‘not to play’ came from former players itself.
Indeed, it appears, India is going to engage with India carefully in sports for the main reason it wishes to host the 2036 Summer Olympics in Gujarat. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be watching all the moves from India, so the latest one on “no restriction” for sports contests with Pakistan in multi-lateral events sends a strong signal. In addition, India has also expressed its desire to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, again in Gujarat. As much as Pakistan has no big role to play in this, India does not want to be seen as refusing sports contests with the unfriendly neighbours.
What is certain, cricket contests of past which generated high voltage in a bilateral series will certainly not happen in future.
