India Bans Pakistan Bilaterals, But Opens Doors for Global Events on Home Soil

India has a new sports policy for Pakistan: no bilateral matches, but Pakistani athletes can compete in India when a global tournament is on.

The government formalized this Wednesday in an Office Memorandum. Indian teams won’t travel to Pakistan for bilateral contests. Pakistani teams won’t be invited to India for the same. But when a World Cup, Commonwealth Games, or any international event lands on Indian soil, Pakistan plays.

The memo was direct: “Insofar 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.”

The government made no effort to separate sports from politics. The memo says India’s approach to sports involving Pakistan “reflects its overall policy in dealing with that country.” This comes roughly a year after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

The timing is tied to something practical, too. India is chasing a packed hosting calendar Commonwealth Games 2030, bids for the 2036 Olympics and 2038 Asian Games, ICC Champions Trophy 2029, 2031 ODI World Cup. OCA officials are already visiting Ahmedabad to evaluate the Olympics bid. Keeping Pakistan out of multilateral events on Indian soil would have put all of that at risk.

The two sides will meet soon regardless. Women’s T20 World Cup group game, June 14, Edgbaston. FIH Pro Hockey League in London, June 23 and 26. Hockey World Cup in Amsterdam, August 19. Commonwealth Games in July-August, Asian Games in September-October.

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On visas, athletes, officials, and international federation representatives will go through a simplified process. The memo says this will “facilitate their smooth movement into and within the country.”