NEW DELHI: India has said it would allow Pakistani athletes to attend multilateral events in the country, as New Delhi seeks to establish itself as a global sporting destination.

Bilateral sporting engagements, including cricket, with its arch-rival will continue to be off table, India’s youth affairs and sports ministry said in a memorandum on Wednesday.

The two countries engaged in a military conflict that nearly snowballed into a full-fledged war last year.

There has been a long freeze in bilateral cricket between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have not played a full series since 2012-13 and now meet largely at neutral venues.

India will host the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and has also made an aggressive pitch to host the 2036 Olympic Games as well as the Asian Games in 2038, bids to burnish its credentials as a growing sporting power.

“Indian teams and individual players would continue to take part in international tournaments that include Pakistan, in line with the practices of global governing bodies and in the interest of Indian sportspersons,” the ministry said. “With regard to international and multilateral events, in India or abroad, we are guided by the practices of international sports bodies and the interest of our own sportspersons.”

“It is also relevant to take into account India’s emergence as a credible venue to host international sports events.”

Pakistani players and teams will be able to participate in multilateral events hosted by India, it said, adding that visa processes for athletes, officials and media workers would be “simplified”.

In recent years, visa delays for Pakistani players have led to criticism by global bodies over India’s host obligations.

Although India were co-hosts of the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year, Pakistan played all their matches in Sri Lanka -- including a group game against India. “In so far as bilateral sports events in each other’s country are concerned, Indian teams will not be participating in competitions in Pakistan. Nor will we permit Pakistani teams to play in India,” the ministry added.

This latest announcement comes against the backdrop of decades of sporting rivalry intertwined with political relations between the two countries. Cricket, in particular, has often served as a barometer of ties — thriving during periods of relative calm and suffering during times of conflict.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2026