India-Pakistan cricket series impossible for now, says Vijay Goel

New Delhi : Sports Minister Vijay Goel on Monday made it clear that India and Pakistan will not be playing any bilateral cricket series till further notice.

A meeting between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is scheduled in Dubai on Monday in order to discuss the possibilities of a bilateral series.

Political tensions between the two estranged neighbours resulted in the Indian government's refusal to allow the team to play the proposed series in 2015 and look set to give it a miss in 2017 too.

Earlier this month, the PCB had sent a notice of dispute to the Indian board, claiming losses for the BCCI's refusal to tour in 2015. According to a report by espncricinfo, BCCI acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary will represent the Indian side in the meeting with PCB's chairman Shaharyar Khan and/or the Pakistan board's legal representatives.

"We still remain committed to playing, "but the position doesn't change: the series cannot go ahead without the permission of the government of India. After PCB wrote to us, we have written to the government of India again, and are awaiting the response. I believe the dialogue should go on, which is why we are meeting," Choudhary said.

India, however, continued to play the Pakistanis in International Cricket Council (ICC) events, most recently being the World T20 match in Kolkata last year.