Terrorism and cricket cannot go hand-in-hand, the external affairs minister reportedly said.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has indicated that there is no possibility of a bilateral India Pakistan cricket series, even at a neutral venue, unless Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism, The Times of India reported on Monday.
She reportedly said this to Parliament’s consultative committee on external affairs. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Minister of State for External Affairs MJ Akbar were also present at the meeting.
Swaraj said terrorism and cricket cannot go hand-in-hand, a member who was present at the meeting, told PTI. She said this after she was asked if restarting the long-suspended cricket exchange could ease the relationship between the two countries.
Pakistan toured India for a short limited-over series in December 2012 but the arch-rivals have not played a full bilateral series since 2007.
Tensions between India and Pakistan have been high over the last few months, with repeated ceasefire violations and cross-border firings, and the treatment of imprisoned former Indian Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife and mother in Islamabad.