Published on, Aug. 24 -- August 24, 2025 2:39 AM

The latest pronouncement from New Delhi, effectively freezing all bilateral sporting exchanges with Pakistan, once again turns cricket into a hostage of politics. India's sports ministry has ruled out fixtures not only on home soil but also at neutral venues, restricting encounters strictly to multilateral tournaments. That decision extends beyond cricket, closing doors for hockey, kabaddi, and other sports where both nations once competed as natural rivals.

For Pakistan, this is not unfamiliar ground. Our cricketing calendar has long been reshaped by India's refusal to engage. Since 2012, there has been no bilateral series, and the last Test match between the two sides was played nearly ...