New Delhi, Aug 22: The Sports Ministry on Thursday declared that India and Pakistan will not have any bilateral sporting ties even on neutral venues as per an unprecedented new policy but the cricket team won’t be stopped from playing the Asia Cup next month as it is a multi-lateral engagement. The ministry unveiled the new policy with regard to India’s international engagements with emphasis on Pakistan. A well-placed ministry source said that the policy, which bars Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and likewise disallows neighbouring sportspersons from coming here for bilaterals, is effective immediately.Asked if Indian teams will be allowed to travel to Pakistan for any multi-lateral competitions, the source said, “In that scenario, we will examine the case before deciding anything. Even in multi-lateral events, we can’t leave our athletes in lurch. After all, Pakistan is a country that has no hesitation in declaring that it is a dumpster and can hit the shining Mercedes that is India,” the source added.
In the detailed policy that has been uploaded on the ministry’s official website, the government named Pakistan, which currently stands accused of being behind the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people leading to a military showdown between the arch-foes in May after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’
Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India,” the policy stated.
“To position India as a preferred destination for hosting international sporting events, the visa process for sportspersons, team officials, technical personnel, and office-bearers of International Sports Governing Bodies shall be simplified,” it added.