ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) kept the Federal Sports Ministry completely in the dark about their negotiations with the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) which resulted in the cancellation of Indian tour, informed sources in the federal government told Dawn on Thursday.

The BCCI conveyed the cancellation decision — taken by the Indian Sports Ministry - through an e-mail sent to the PCB on Thursday morning. India were due to tour Pakistan early next year for three Tests, a Twenty20 International and five One-day internationals.

“They [Sports Ministry] officials were not informed at any stage until they learnt about news of the tour’s cancellation through the media,” said one of the sources in the Ministry.

The last communication, the source said, was held after the cancellation of the tour between the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and the Sports Minister Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani on Thursday. He informed that the federal government had expressed its dismay over the sudden cancellation of the scheduled Indian cricket team tour to Pakistan.

However, contrary to the reports from the ministry, the Federal Sports Minister, Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani insisted that his ministry was aware about the ongoing developments between the PCB and BCCI. “We were aware about the negotiations held between the two boards and it is absurd to say that we were not in the loop with PCB.”

Sports and politics, he said, are two different things and the game of cricket can help reduce tensions between the tense neighbours.

He added that Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had even visited India last month and tried his best to convince the Indian government to continue with the upcoming cricket series but to no avail.

“I am utterly disappointed and sad to learn the shocking news that the Indian government barred the BCCI to go ahead with their scheduled cricket tour to Pakistan.”