The Sports Ministry on Thursday made its stance clear on India’s sporting engagements with Pakistan. While no bilateral sporting ties will be permitted, the ministry confirmed that India will not pull out of the Asia Cup 2025, where the team is scheduled to face Pakistan on September 14 in the UAE.
Announcing the new policy, a senior ministry source said:
“In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India.”
The source went further, ruling out even neutral-venue arrangements:
“India and Pakistan cannot play bilateral even if it is planned in America. No bilaterals.”
However, multilateral events remain unaffected. The official clarified:
“We will not stop Indian cricket team from playing in Asia Cup as it is a multilateral. For multilateral cricket, we will not come in the way unless the host is Pakistan.”
When asked if exceptions could be made in the future, the ministry source was blunt:
“At this point, it looks unlikely.”
The policy comes in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people and the subsequent military operation launched by India. The government said the approach to sports is aligned with its broader diplomatic position on Pakistan.
Still, for cricket fans, the takeaway is simple: the Asia Cup goes ahead as planned, and the world’s biggest rivalry will light up the tournament on September 14.
