Govt unlikely to allow Indo-Pak cricket in Dubai
The Centre is unlikely to grant permission to the Indian cricket team to play against Pakistan in Dubai due to the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Home Minister and the Home Ministry will take call on this but I don't think the atmosphere is right given the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir," Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir told reporters in New Delhi.
Ahir was responding to reports that the BCCI has written to the Home Ministry seeking permission to play Pakistan in Dubai.
"We get many proposals and letters but the atmosphere today is not right for Indo-Pak cricket," he said.
The BCCI has reportedly written to the Home Ministry seeking permission to play Pakistan and complete its obligations under the MoU, which was inked between the two cricket boards in 2014.
The BCCI wanted to host Pakistan for a short series in 2016 but did not get government clearance owing to tension between the two countries and the subsequent terror attacks on Indian soil.
The cricket board is now said to have approached the Home Ministry seeking permission as the Indian team is willing to play a series in Dubai.
India has been accusing Pakistan for sponsoring terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of the country.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has said that their Indian counterpart has so far not contacted them regarding the holding of any bilateral series between two sides.
The 83-year-old's comments came following speculations that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is seeking permission from the Indian government to play a series against Pakistan on a neutral venue.
Shaharyar said that that BCCI is probably afraid of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and, therefore, they want to play the series now.
"I got to know about this development through Indian media. Last year the ICC had deducted points of Indian women cricket team for not playing series against Pakistan," the Dawn quoted the PCB chairman as saying.
The BCCI, when it was headed by Shashank Manohar, wanted to host Pakistan for a short series in 2016 but the plan could not be materialized owing to fraught relations between the two countries and the subsequent terror attacks on Indian soil.
According to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the PCB and BCCI, both countries are scheduled to play six series between 2015 and 2023 after a clearance from the Indian Government.
India has not played a full bilateral Test series with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Although Pakistan had toured India in December 2012 for a short limited-over series, they failed to resume full ties cricket, including Tests.