Political Tensions Cast Doubt On India-Pakistan Asia Cup Showdown

The India-Pakistan clash at the Asia Cup T20 tournament scheduled in Dubai, come September 14, was inadvertently called off on August 11 itself when the Indian Parliament cleared two new laws to henceforth govern domestic, international sporting encounters. The National Sports Governance Bill and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bills became the national authoritative laws governing sports emanating out of India, established a clear legal framework for sports bodies, introduced stricter accountability and dedicated mechanisms for dispute resolution. The Anti-Doping Amendment Bill aligns India’s anti-doping agency with global standards. The National Sports Board has authority to recognize/derecognize National Sports Federations, can suspend bodies while enjoying the powers of a civic court of law with its decision being final only allowing for appeal before the Supreme Court of India. While the ostensible reason for the NSB is to clear the currently pending backlog of 350 court cases, sources indicate that the cancellation of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup tie is already a foregone conclusion. Already public opinion has consolidated against India playing the fixture against Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack following which India has not only cut off the rogue nation’s water supply under the Indus Waters treaty of 1960 but also cut off all further ties with Pakistan. Even the BCCI, mostly independent of government funding, has been brought under provisions of the RTI. The bill was amended so that RTI would only apply only if the private cricket trust accepts government funding to allay fears of unwanted government controls. However, the BCCI has consistently accepted waivers of tax levies and fees payable for conducting the multibillion-dollar IPL, other cricket tournaments for years now.