New Delhi: Anurag Thakur, Union Sports Minister, stated on Friday that India will not play any cricket matches with Pakistan till that nation puts an end to cross-border terrorism. Additionally, he stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has previously decided against resuming bilateral cricket relations with Pakistan.
"The BCCI decided long ago that it will not play any bilateral matches with Pakistan until they stop terrorism. We will not resume our cricketing ties with Pakistan unless they stop carrying out attacks across the border or infiltration incidents," Thakur, a former BCCI president, told reporters in Rajasthan's Udaipur, India Today reported.
He said this as calls for India to sever its cricketing links with Pakistan grew louder following the killing of four security officers in a deadly gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag, which is now on its third day.
Thakur called the shooting in Anantnag "unfortunate" and promised the terrorists a strong appropriate response.
"The Modi government has taken drastic steps against terrorism. Terror incidents have come down in the last nine years. What has happened in Kashmir is unfortunate and very sad. We will give the terrorists a befitting reply," he said.
"When the 26/11 attacks (Mumbai 2008 attacks) happened, the Manmohan Singh-led Congress government remained a mute spectator," the Union Minister added.
India has made it clear that interaction with Pakistan would only happen if Pakistan ceased its cross-border terrorist activities.
In the midst of tense relations, India and Pakistan last engaged in a bilateral series in 2012–13. Since that time, only ICC competitions and the Asia Cup have seen matches between the two nations. India last visited Pakistan for a bilateral series in 2006.
According to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, "political tensions" prevented India from visiting Pakistan for the Asia Cup in 2023. This announcement was made in August. Pakistan was supposed to host the competition. Pakistan responded by threatening to boycott the ICC Men's World Cup, which will take place in India the following month.
The Asia Cup is now being staged in a hybrid format, with some matches taking place in Pakistan and the remainder in Sri Lanka, where India has played all of its games thus far.