THE Indian sports ministry’s move to allow Pakistani players and teams to participate in multilateral events hosted by India does not change much. Bilateral ties still remain off the table. India is preparing to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and is pursuing its bid for the 2036 Olympics and 2038 Asian Games. To hold such events, India needs to adhere to the Olympic Charter, which puts the onus on the hosts to ensure that all participants are welcome. India has said it will also have a simplified visa policy for players and teams. However, in view of the fraught diplomatic ties between Pakistan and India, especially since last May’s war, this shift in stance does not mean much. Pakistan has adopted a tit-for-tat approach after India’s years-long hard-line stance of not allowing its teams to participate in events across the border, most notably in cricket where a hybrid model was later put in place. While the hybrid model, which sees the two play their matches on neutral venues in tournaments held in either country, paved the way forward for the running of international cricket events, the same cannot happen in other sports, especially at multilateral events such as the Olympics or Asian Games.

Just recently, Pakistan did not issue a no-objection certificate to its women’s football team to travel to India for the SAFF Women’s Championship. Similarly, the national hockey team did not travel to India last year for the men’s Asia Cup due to security concerns. India, therefore, changing its stance does not amount to much. After years of India’s politicisation of sports, Pakistan has taken a stand. Pakistan had for long campaigned for sports and politics not to be mixed and for the restoration of better sporting ties; now, the onus is on India to start a dialogue. The stalemate at the moment shows no signs of ending and sporting ties between the two countries will continue to suffer.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026