Unless politics is kept away, there can't be a resumption of bilateral ties: Misbah ul Haq

Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, in a recent interview, has stated that if people want a resumption of bilateral cricket ties between Pakistan and India then politics has to be kept out of the sport. His comments come after the Indo-Pak cricketing ties hit another huge roadblock after BCCI President Anurag Thakur dismissed any possibility of playing cricket with Pakistan.

Misbah said, “As a player, I would like to play against India. I would want to captain our side against them. But unless politics is kept away from cricket, there can’t be a resumption of bilateral ties,” Misbah told reporters in Karachi.

He added that cricket and politics should always be kept separate and there should be no connection between the two. He also went on clear the fact that Pakistan has never had any hesitation in playing against their arch-rivals.

“If you can play in ICC and other world events, then bilateral series should be played in the same way. Sport & politics should be kept separate. There should be no connection between playing cricket with politics”

“As far as India’s concerned, we’ve always wanted to play them but if they don’t want to play, what can we do about that.”

The Indo-Pak relationship has gone awry in recent days following the terrorist attack on India soldiers. In the wake of this event, BCCI president Anurag Thakur later stated that there was no possibility of resuming the cricketing ties between both the nations.

“In the context of what has happened even considering such the thought of playing against Pakistan is not appropriate,” he told reporters when asked if there is any plan to play cricket with Pakistan.