MOHALI, March 8: BCCI chief Ranbir Singh Mahendra, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) says that a "lot was possible" now that cricketing ties with Pakistan had resumed.

"I think a good beginning has been made and whosoever came in the way of cricket between the two sides wouldn't succeed," he told Dawn on Tuesday. "Once you get started, there are so many things that can be achieved."

Pakistan are on a full tour of this country for the first time in six years while India went across the border in 2004 when they played three Tests and five one-day Internationals.

Ranbir said that he was happy to see that cricket was bringing people on both sides of the border together and added that despite the short time available to organize this series, his state associations were fully capable of doing a good job.

Meanwhile, a controversy over complimentary passes issued by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), the organizers of the first Test, has ended with a court ruling in their favour.

Additional Civil Judge Poonam Ratti dismissed a plea seeking interim injunction restraining the PCA from issuing free passes for the match that began on Tuesday. The Judge ruled that since the PCA was an autonomous body not controlled by the union or state governments, it had absolute right to distribute passes.

The court had issued notices to the chiefs of the BCCI and PCA after the head of the Federation of Lawyers against Corruption and a local resident had filed a petition challenging the issuance of passes.

Opinion

Editorial

Centre vs provinces
Updated 10 Jun, 2026

Centre vs provinces

The reason the centre finds itself in this position is rooted in its failure to expand the tax net and boost revenues.
Party in crisis
10 Jun, 2026

Party in crisis

THE young KP chief minister must be starting to realise just how thorny a seat he occupies. There has been a flurry...
Varsity woes
10 Jun, 2026

Varsity woes

FINANCIAL crises affecting public sector universities across Pakistan are now having an impact on academic...
Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....