IND vs PAK: Government gives green signal to India-Pakistan match, match will be held in Asia Cup

IND vs PAK: Before Asia Cup 2025, the Indian Sports Ministry has taken a big decision. The ministry announced on Thursday that there will be no bilateral sports matches between India and Pakistan. Indian teams will not participate in competitions held in Pakistan nor will Pakistani teams be allowed to play bilateral matches in India. However, this policy will not have any effect on multi-nation tournaments like Asia Cup.

Announcement of new policy

The Sports Ministry has announced a new policy to be implemented with immediate effect. This policy states that India's approach to sports events with Pakistan reflects the country's overall foreign policy. The ministry clarified that Indian teams will not participate in any bilateral competition in Pakistan nor will Pakistani teams be allowed to play in India. But teams of both countries will be able to participate in multi-nation tournaments.

A source in the Sports Ministry said,

We will not stop the Indian cricket team from playing in multi-nation tournaments like Asia Cup. But Pakistani teams will not be allowed to come to India for bilateral competitions. We will not ban their participation in multi-nation tournaments in accordance with the Olympic Charter.

India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup 2025

India and Pakistan teams will face each other in Dubai on 14 September in Asia Cup 2025. Both teams are in Group-A, which also includes teams from UAE and Oman. The schedule of the Indian team is as follows:

10 September: India vs UAE

14 September: India vs Pakistan

Last match of Group-A: India vs Oman

The Sports Ministry clarified that this match between India and Pakistan in the multi-nation tournament has been given the green signal.

Scope of policy: Not limited to cricket only

This policy of the Sports Ministry is not limited to cricket only. It will apply to all sports. This means that no Pakistani player will be able to come to India for any bilateral competition nor will Indian players go to play in Pakistan. However, players of both the countries will be able to play against each other in international multi-nation tournaments.

Impact and future of the policy

This policy will bring a big change in the sports relations between India and Pakistan. While exciting matches will be seen between India and Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments, the way for bilateral series has been completely closed. This policy presents a new approach in the world of sports while being in sync with India's foreign policy.