India-Pakistan far from possible under current circumstances: MHA

Cricket fans from both the neighboring countries India and Pakistan were all excited after reports emerged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked the central government for the requisite permission to play bilateral series against arch-rivals Pakistan at a neutral venue. But Hansraj Ahir, the Minister from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has confirmed that a potential bilateral series between the two teams isn’t possible due to the current relations between the two neighbouring country.

MHA also seems to have quashed the speculations, doing the rounds, that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has sought permission from the Government of India to play against neighbours Pakistan. Ahir told reporters outside the Parliament on Wednesday (March 29), “In the current circumstances cricket between India and Pakistan is not possible.”

Earlier reports suggested that the BCCI have sent a mail from their end last month seeking permission from the government to play against Pakistan.

Acting chief of BCCI CK Khanna told the Network 18 reporters:

“A letter was sent to the home ministry a month back, and we are awaiting clearance for a series this winter. It is a clear case of trying to honour the commitment we had made to the PCB back in 2014. We will discuss the venue and other factors regarding the series once we meet in the Capital on April 9 during the SGM.”

The two neighbouring countries had not played a full-fledged series since 2007 when the Pakistan team toured India. They followed that tour with another one in 2012, playing three ODI’s and two T20Is. The visitors won the ODI’s with a close margin of 2-1 and the T20 series ended in a tie at one a piece for both the sides.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), since then has accused the BCCI of deliberately cancelling the bilateral series between the two teams, which has caused an enormous monetary loss to the other board. Former BCCI chief had also echoed the words of Hansraj stating that there would be no cricketing activities between the two countries till the cross-border tension was resolved.