Multinational Matches By ICC A Compulsion: Anurag Thakur On India-Pak Asia Cup Row

New Delhi: “India doesn’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan. We have made this decision for years that India won’t play bilateral tournaments with Pakistan until Pakistan stops terrorist attacks on India,” BJP MP and former sports minister Anurag Thakur said on Friday, as controversy raged over the upcoming India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash in Dubai.

Thakur underlined that India’s participation in multinational tournaments like the Asia Cup is governed by rules of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). “When multinational tournaments are organised by ACC or ICC, it becomes a compulsion, a necessity for nations to participate. If they don’t do that, they will be eliminated from the tournament, they will have to forfeit the match, and the other team will get the points,” he explained.

His remarks came a day after opposition parties, including AIMIM, Shiv Sena (UBT), Maharashtra Congress and NCP (SP), demanded the cancellation of the September 14 match in Dubai, citing the recent Pahalgam terror attack. They argued that playing Pakistan at such a time would be an insult to the victims and martyrs.

Adding to the drama, a plea was also moved before the Supreme Court seeking an urgent stay on the match, but the court refused to entertain it, leaving the fixture on track.

The India-Pakistan face-off, one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries, has long been hostage to political and diplomatic tensions. While bilateral ties remain frozen, encounters in ICC and ACC events continue to stir sharp emotions at home. This year’s clash has become more than just a sporting contest—it is unfolding as a political flashpoint, with the weight of national sentiment bearing heavily on the cricket pitch in Dubai.