 "Pakistan are scheduled to compete at the Men's Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar in the months of August and September. PTI")
Pakistani hockey teams will be allowed to travel to India for upcoming tournaments despite relations between the two nuclear-armed nations nosediving following the Pahalgam terror attack in April and the military conflict that broke out a couple of weeks later .
As per a statement from a sports ministry official, Pakistan will be allowed to compete at the Men’s Asia Cup that will be taking place in Rajgir, Bihar from 27 August to 7 September.
Pakistan will also be allowed to participate in the Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup that will be taking place in Chennai and Madurai in Tamil Nadu from 28 November to 10 December later this year.
FIH had recently grouped the two arch-rivals together in Pool B in the draw that had taken place at the world governing body’s headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Ministry sources cites Russia and Ukraine as example
“We are not against any team competing in India in a multinational competition. But bilateral is different,” a ministry source was quoted by news agency Press Trust of India as saying.
“International sports demand that we cannot back out of competing. Russia and Ukraine are at war, but they show up at multinational events,” he added.
The government’s stance, thus, makes it clear that while India will not be facing Pakistan in bilateral competitions in the forseeable future, they are open to locking horns with their arch-rivals in multi-nation tournaments.
The Asia Cup fixture will be the first Indo-Pak meeting since the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy that took place in Hulunbuir, China last year – where India went on to defeat the host nation to win the tournament.
The ministry’s stance also clears the participation of Pakistani athletes and para-athletes in the Junior Shooting World Cup as well as the World Para-Athletics Championships, both of which are to take place in New Delhi later this year.
The two arch-rivals are also likely to meet on the cricket field later this year, with their fixture in the Asia Cup reportedly set for 7 September.