'Pakistan should be vary of these things. They should not support terrorism. We have been saying this from day one.'
In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajiv Shukla made it clear that there is no possibility of bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan unless they get the government's nod.
Shukla admitted to have faith in the concept of sports being above everything else but asserted that right now it is difficult to play against Pakistan, who have been accused of supporting terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
"Our position is very clear. Unless government gives us nod, we are not going to play with Pakistan. Sports should be above all these things but if somebody is sponsoring terrorism, obviously it will affect sports also", Shukla told reporters.
When asked if India will play against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, Shukla ducked the question saying, "That we cant tell you know right now. World Cup is far away. We will see what happens."
44 CRPF personnel were killed when a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy, while moving from Jammu to Srinagar, was attacked by a suicide bomber in Pulwama on February 14. Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the attack, people from across the country expressed anger and demanded action against Pakistan.
The former BCCI vice-president said that the outrage is justified and asked Pakistan to stop supporting terrorism.
"This is the outrage of the people which is reflecting in these ways. Obviously people will react like this. Pakistan should be vary of these things. They should not support terrorism. We have been saying this from day one. When our government was there, we gave tons of documents about their involvement. They should realise this," Shukla said.
In December, PCB filed a compensation claim which blamed India for lack of bilateral series between the two nations, which was rejected by the International Cricket Council.
The PCB had demanded Rs 447 crore compensation after alleging that the BCCI didn't honour the MoU, that required India to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. The BCCI, on its part, maintained that the alleged MoU was not binding and did not stand as Pakistan failed to honour a commitment to support the revenue model suggested by India for the ICC.
BCCI also said that bilateral cricket with Pakistan was subject to government clearance, which has not been forthcoming since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
