India Bars Bilateral Sporting Ties With Pakistan, But Multilateral Events To Continue: Sports Ministry

In a landmark move, the Sports Ministry on Thursday unveiled a new policy declaring that India and Pakistan will not engage in any bilateral sporting contests, even if hosted at neutral venues. However, the policy makes an exception for multilateral tournaments, ensuring India’s participation in next month’s Asia Cup.

According to a PTI report, the unprecedented policy bars Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and likewise disallows Pakistani sportspersons from competing in India in bilateral fixtures. A senior ministry source confirmed that the directive was effective immediately.

Asked if Indian teams would be permitted to travel to Pakistan for multi-nation tournaments, the source told PTI, “In that scenario, we will examine the case before deciding anything. Even in multi-lateral events, we can't leave our athletes in lurch. After all, Pakistan is a country that has no hesitation in declaring that it is a dumpster and can hit the shining Mercedes that is India.”

No Bilateral Engagements, Even on Neutral Venues

The policy, uploaded on the Ministry’s official website, directly names Pakistan, which stands accused of being behind the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people in May, leading to a military showdown after India launched Operation Sindoor.

“India's approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country,” the ministry stated. “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.”

A ministry source further asserted, “India and Pakistan cannot play bilateral even if it is planned in America. No bilaterals," PTI quoted as saying.

Multilateral Events Remain Unaffected

Despite strong reactions on social media, the policy allows India’s participation in multilateral competitions. This means the Indian cricket team will travel to the UAE for the Asia Cup starting September 9.

“We will not stop Indian cricket team from playing in Asia Cup as it is a multilateral,” a ministry source told PTI. “For multilateral cricket, we will not come in the way unless the host is Pakistan.”

On the possibility of a policy review in case of improved ties, the ministry official said, “At this point, it looks unlikely.”

The Sports Ministry underlined that India, which is vying to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games, remains committed to the Olympic Charter and its philosophy of inclusivity. This, it said, is why the government granted visas to Pakistani hockey players for next month’s Asia Cup in Bihar, even though the team later refused to travel citing security concerns.

“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. Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India,” the ministry clarified in its statement.

India’s Global Sporting Ambitions

It also highlighted measures to ease global participation in events hosted by India: “To position India as a preferred destination for hosting international sporting events, the visa process for sportspersons, team officials, technical personnel, and office-bearers of International Sports Governing Bodies shall be simplified.”

Additionally, the ministry announced that office-bearers of international sports bodies will be given priority in obtaining long-term visas. “A multi-entry visa shall be granted on priority basis for the duration of their official tenure, subject to a maximum period of five years.

This shall facilitate their smooth movement into and within the country, in accordance with international norms. Due protocol and courtesies, as per established practice, shall be extended to the Heads of International Sports Governing Bodies during their visits to India,” the statement concluded.

India's Asia Cup Squad:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

Stand-bys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.