Sports Ministry raps BCCI

Unhappy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India's "unilateral announcement" that India would play Pakistan in Karachi during the Asian Test Championship in September, the Sports Ministry on Monday conveyed its displeasure to BCCI president A C Muthiah.

Taking exception to the BCCI's reported assurance to the Pakistan Cricket Board that the Indian team will participate in the Test championship, Sports Minister Uma Bharti said the Sports Secretary has already conveyed the ministry's displeasure on the issue to the board president.

"They (the BCCI) should not take so much liberty in making such announcements," she told reporters.

"To play in Pakistan, the Board of Control of Cricket in India has to first give a written proposal to the Sports Ministry, which in turn would forward it to the Ministry of External Affairs. The final decision rests with the MEA," Bharti said.

"No such proposal for the Indian cricket team's tour to Pakistan in September, to participate in the ATC, has been received by the ministry," she said, and asked: "Where is the question of my reaction to the Pakistan board's announcement that India will play against its team in Karachi?"

Asked about reports of India making some sort of goodwill gesture on the eve of Pakistan CEO General Parvez Musharraf's visit, Bharti said: "There is no such proposal with the ministry now. The MEA will take a decision about bilateral ties in the changed scenario and obviously cricketing ties would also figure in that," she said.

She added: "When the ties through sports are to be discussed, the views of the Sports Ministry would be taken into account. Beyond this, whatever is being written in the media is a matter of pure speculation."

However, she stressed that like arts and culture, sports too has a role in promoting bilateral ties between the two countries.

Asked whether the government's decision not to play cricket with Pakistan in a bilateral series contributed to the further souring of relations, she said: "Bilateral cricketing ties have nothing to do with the souring of the relations between the two countries. It was the souring of relations which resulted in the snapping of bilateral cricketing ties."

Mail Cricket Editor