File photo: Former Union Home Secretary RK Singh.
A BJP lawmaker has asked the Narendra Modi government not to clear the proposed resumption of India-Pakistan cricket series. Former Union Home Secretary RK Singh today questioned the need for having sporting ties with a country which shelters terrorists responsible for carrying out attacks in India.
International teams have refused to play in Pakistan after the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lanka players in Lahore. But there is a possibility that in December, India could take on Pakistan in their first 'away' bilateral cricket series in almost a decade.
In Lok Sabha, Mr Singh said, when terror mastermind Hafiz Saeed is roaming freely and terrorist Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi has been granted bail in Pakistan, "what is point of playing cricket with them I do not understand". Citing Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that Dawood Ibrahim has been given shelter in Pakistan, he added that the government should not hold such a cricket series or "reconsider" any decision on the matter.
While most BJP members were silent, Mr Singh received support from the Opposition benches when he raised the issue during Zero Hour.
India has not played a full series in Pakistan since 2006. The last time the two countries faced each other in a bilateral series was in 2012-13, when Pakistan played two T20s and three ODIs in India. The last Test series was played in India in 2007.
On Sunday, the chiefs of India and Pakistan cricket boards met in Kolkata and later told the media that the proposed series is likely have three Tests, five one-day internationals and two T20 games. It was suggested that the series be played in the United Arab Emirates as a neutral venue.