India says will not have bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan

India’s sports ministry on Thursday announced that the country will not engage in any bilateral sporting events with Pakistan, including those held at neutral venues, under a newly introduced policy.

The ministry clarified, however, that multilateral events such as the upcoming Asia Cup will not be affected. The Indian cricket team is set to travel to the UAE for the tournament beginning on September 9.

According to officials, the policy, which came into effect immediately, bars Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan for bilateral events and prevents Pakistani teams from competing in India.

“India and Pakistan cannot play bilateral even if it is planned in America. No bilaterals,” Indian media reported, quoting sources in the sports ministry.

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The detailed policy document, uploaded on the ministry’s official website, states: “India’s approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country.”

It further notes that while bilateral fixtures are ruled out, cases involving multilateral events hosted in Pakistan would be reviewed separately.

The policy comes in the wake of heightened tensions between two countries following the Pahalgam attack in which 26 people were killed.