Champions Trophy: 'BCCI's own decision not to go to Pakistan'

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader Omar Abdullah stated that not sending the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy is the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

A BCCI source told ANI on Thursday that India will not travel to Pakistan for next year's Champions Trophy.

"India will not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025. Will tell ICC to hold its matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka," the source said.

>Abdullah believes that establishing better relations solely doesn't fall on India, it is Pakistan's responsibility as well to improve the relations between both countries.

"What is new in this? Both countries have not played bilateral series for many years, it is BCCI's own decision not to go for the tournament. I have always said

that it is not only our country's responsibility to establish better relations between these two countries, if better relations are to be made then it is Pakistan's responsibility too," Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.

"The kind of attacks that are happening should not happen, the kind of atmosphere that is there should not be there, Pakistan will also have to play its role in this so that the relations between the two countries improve," he added.

India have not visited Pakistan since 2008 and the cricket-mad countries play each other only at multi-team events.

Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year but eventual winners India were allowed to play all their matches in Sri Lanka.

BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla had said in May that the Indian team would be sent to Pakistan for the tournament only if the central government permits it.

"In the case of the Champion Trophy, we will do whatever the Government of India will tell us to do. We send our team only when the Government of India permits us. So we will go according to the decision of the Indian government," he had told ANI.