India opens doors to Pakistani athletes for multilateral sports, bans bilateral ties
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India's sports ministry announced on Wednesday that Pakistani athletes and teams may participate in multilateral events hosted in India, but bilateral competitions—like cricket—remain prohibited.
The ministry will simplify visa processes for sportspersons and officials, while granting multi-entry visas to office bearers of international sports bodies. "With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons," the memorandum stated. It also highlighted India's rising stature as a host for major events.
India plans to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has bid for the 2036 Olympics and 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad.
Ties remain strained after last year's military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours nearly escalated into war. Bilateral cricket has been frozen since the 2012-13 series; matches now occur only at neutral venues. During this year's T20 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by India, Pakistan played all games—including against India—in Sri Lanka.
"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 clarified.