India’s foreign ministry spokesman, Randhir Jaiswal, on Thursday dismissed media reports suggesting that discussions occurred between Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar regarding the resumption of cricket ties during the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
Jaishankar arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday for the SCO summit, marking the first visit by an Indian foreign minister in nearly a decade. During a lunch on Wednesday, Jaishankar and FM Dar exchanged a few words, leading to immediate media speculation that they were discussing cricket. However, when approached by Dawn for confirmation, FM Dar did not respond.
Earlier today, The Times of India reported, citing diplomatic sources, that the two had “casual conversations.” It mentioned a brief, five-to-seven-minute discussion at Tuesday’s dinner, which also included Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. According to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity, Pakistan suggested resuming bilateral cricket ties as a way to “break the ice.”
In response to inquiries about the alleged cricket talks during a weekly press briefing, the Indian foreign ministry spokesman stated, “Nothing of that sort happened … also the reports that you saw were not accurate.”
Pakistan, the last edition’s Champions Trophy winner in England in 2017, is set to host the tournament from February 19 to March 9. However, due to strained political relations, India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, with the two nations only meeting at multi-team events.
Last year, Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup, but India played all their matches in Sri Lanka under a “hybrid model” due to security concerns. At that time, India stated they did not receive permission from their government to tour Pakistan.
Rajeev Shukla, vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), mentioned last month that the final decision regarding India’s travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy would be made by the Indian government.
