India will play Pakistan as scheduled in the Asia Cup T20 cricket meet next month, but there will be no bilateral exchange of sporting ties between the two nations even on neutral venues, the Union sports ministry said in a fresh policy on Thursday.

The Indian government has upheld a consistent approach of not engaging in bilateral sporting events with Pakistan. However, this restriction does not extend to multilateral events, such as World Cups and Olympics, where both countries participate under the jurisdiction of international governing bodies.

The sports ministry has categorically made it clear that while Indian teams will not travel to Pakistan, they will also not host Pakistani teams in any bilateral series.

Officials stressed that the distinction between bilateral engagements and multilateral competitions is central to the new policy framework.

The Asia Cup will feature the high-profile India-Pakistan matches on September 14 and possibly September 21 in Dubai, considering both teams proceed to the next round. The final is on September 29.

India are the official hosts of the tournament, but it will be played in the UAE as per an agreement with the Asian Cricket Council.

India and Pakistan have not engaged in bilateral cricket since the 2012–13 season. Pakistan last toured India for the ODI World Cup in 2023. India refused to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, citing security concerns and played all their matches in Dubai.

There had been uncertainty over the India-Pakistan clash in Asia Cup after several parliamentarians and former players had objected to it in the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.

Also, an Indian Legends team — comprising former stars like Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh among others — refused to play their Pakistani counterparts in the World Championship of Legends in the UK and pulled out of the semi-final last month.

In a post on X, Dhawan shared an email written to the tournament orgainsers where he said that the decision to not play Pakistan had been communicated to them on May 11. The email said that the decision was taken in consideration of the current geo-political situation.

On whether Indian teams would be allowed to travel to Pakistan for multilateral competitions, a ministry source said: “In that scenario, we will examine the case before deciding anything.

“Even in multilateral events, we can’t leave our athletes in the lurch. After all, Pakistan is a country that has no hesitation in declaring that it is a dumpster and can hit the shining Mercedes that is India.”

The detailed policy, which has been uploaded on the ministry’s official website, states: “India’s approach to sports events involving Pakistan reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country.

“In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” it said.

“However, with regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons.

“It is also relevant to consider India’s emergence as a credible venue for hosting international sports events.

“...Indian teams and individual players will take part in international events that also have teams or players from Pakistan. Similarly, Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in such multilateral events hosted by India,” the policy stated.

“To position India as a preferred destination for hosting international sporting events, the visa process for sportspersons, team officials, technical personnel, and office-bearers of International Sports Governing Bodies shall be simplified,” it added.

Asked if the policy could be revised if the ties between the two countries improve, a ministry source said, “At this point, it looks unlikely.”

The policy makes it clear that India, which is aspiring to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games, will abide by the Olympic Charter and its philosophy of inclusivity to present itself as an amiable host of global events.

This is precisely the reason why the government agreed to grant visas to Pakistani hockey players for next month’s Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, even though they refused to travel, citing security concerns.

Pakistan women will not play any of their matches in India during October’s Women’s ODI World Cup, according to an agreement between the two cricket boards for ICC tournaments. Pakistan’s matches will be held in Sri Lanka.

The same applies for next year’s T20 World Cup, which India are slated to jointly host with Sri Lanka.

Written with PTI inputs