India would not be travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy cricket competition next year. In a recent letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Indian cricket board stated that they wanted to play all of their matches in Dubai and cited security reasons as the reason for their choice.
“This has been our stance and there is no reason to change that. We have written to them and asked them to shift our games to Dubai,” a source in the know said.
The top eight teams in the world will compete in the 50-overs ICC event, which will be hosted in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi from February 19 to March 9.
According to cricket sources, the BCCI has maintained its stance on Pakistan "in consultation with the government". Despite pressure from hosts Pakistan last year, India was able to move their Asia Cup matches to Sri Lanka, Indian Express reported.
This comes after India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Islamabad last month, raising hopes for the return of cricket normalcy in the region.
This was the first high-level direct conversation since 2015, between countries with a tumultuous history. Following this cordial meeting, a thaw appeared to be on the way, with speculation that cricket connections would resume.
Pakistan's Interior Minister, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, who also serves as Chairman of the PCB, was believed to be in the loop. Whispers of India's trip to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy were heard in diplomatic corridors.
Even the PCB went to great lengths to persuade India to cross the border. The Pakistani board had given the BCCI the option of having their squad return to India after each game. Nothing appears to have worked, as the two boards are set to restart their tug-of-war in the coming days.
Pakistan recently hosted international teams like England and Bangladesh. The last time India toured Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup.