Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday reiterated the Board of Control for Cricket in India's stance on bilateral ties with Pakistan in international cricket amid the growing boycott calls following the Anantnag encounter.
Three top Indian security personnel were recently killed in a gunfight with Pakistan-based terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir which has enraged the entire country.
Cricket fans once again urged the BCCI to cut all ties with Pakistan, even in international tournaments like the World Cup & Asia Cup, after the soldiers' death.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla addressed the issue on Thursday saying that India will continue to play against Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments but there won't be any bilateral cricket between the two teams unless they get approval from the Indian government.
Anurag Thakur meanwhile, made it clear that India will continue to boycott bilateral sporting ties until Pakistan stops cross-border terrorism.
"BCCI had decided much earlier that we would not play bilateral matches with Pakistan until they put an end to terrorism, cross-border attacks and infiltration...
"I think the sentiments of the country and of the public are also the same," Thakur told reporters.
Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan stopped after 2012 due to the tense relations between the two nations. The two teams have only met each other at ICC and ACC tournaments since then.
Anantnag Encounter
Three members of the Army, including a Battalion Commander Colonel and a Major, as well as a Deputy Superintendent from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, lost their lives during an intense firefight with terrorists in the remote Kokorenag region. Meanwhile, one soldier is currently unaccounted for, raising concerns about their well-being.
On Wednesday morning, Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonack, and Deputy Superintendent Humayun Bhat sustained critical injuries during the confrontation in the Garol area of Anantnag district.
