India’s Sports Ministry has formally directed national sports bodies to continue the ban on bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan, making clear that Indian teams will not travel to Pakistan and Pakistani teams will not be allowed to compete in India.
The ministry issued a circular to National Sports Federations, the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports Authority of India on Wednesday, outlining the policy.
“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 ministry said.
However, the ban does not extend to multilateral events. The ministry said that with regard to international and multilateral events, “we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons,” meaning Indian and Pakistani athletes can still face each other at tournaments such as the World Cup, Asia Cup or the Olympics.
Pakistan teams will also be permitted to participate in multilateral sporting events hosted in India.
The ban directly rules out any standalone cricket, hockey or other bilateral series between the two countries for the foreseeable future.
