There will be no bar on Pakistan sports teams travelling to India for international events despite the low in bilateral ties following the Pahalgam terror attack and India responding with Operation Sindoor, sports ministry officials said on Thursday, July 3.
That decision included an agreement that Pakistan teams will be allowed to play ICC tournaments hosted by India at a neutral venue. Cross-border political tension saw the Rohit Sharma-led side play the Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan, in the UAE and emerge winners.
While the union sports ministry is willing to let BCCI address the neutral venue issue – Pakistan will play their games in the ICC Women’s World Cup being staged by India in late September in Colombo – hockey will be different. The Asia Cup hockey is scheduled to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from August 29 to September 7 and Pakistan will be free to travel for it, the ministry sources said.
India also host the junior hockey World Cup in Chennai and Madurai in November where India and Pakistan are in the same group. “For international sports no one is barred from going,” the sources said. The government also is conscious of its build-up to bidding for the 2036 Olympics and would not like any step to hurt its image as a welcoming country. “It won’t be nice in the international sports world (if there are any such restrictions),” the officials said.
Senior officials of the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) however said they are yet to receive clearance from the government to take part in two major hockey events in India this year.
The cabinet approved the new sports policy this week which the union sports ministry is confident will usher in a “360 degrees reform” in Indian sports. The sports ministry has prepared a roadmap for the implementation of the wide-ranging aspects addressed by the policy document and a monitoring group comprising the sports, education and culture ministries will be set up for development of sports at the grassroots. While the government acknowledges the role states have in education, and sports in these institutions, the ministry sources also said: “Sports is a state subject but international sports is a central subject.”
A Khelo India Water Sports Festival will be held in Srinagar’s Dal Lake from August 21-23.