Newly-elected BCCI president Roger Binny on Thursday said the board can't decide on its own whether the Indian cricket team will visit Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup or not as the travel-related decisions are taken by the government.
The BCCI president's comment came after he was posed with a question on the recent decision of India to not travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup.
Binny said at an event hosted by the Karnataka State Cricket Association in Bengaluru: "That is not the BCCI's call. We can't say where our team has to go. Whether we leave the country or teams coming into the country, we need clearance. Once we get clearance from the government then we go with it. We can't make decisions on our own. We have to rely on the government.
Pakistan will host the Asia Cup in September of the following year. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, however, recently said that the Indian team will not be travelling to Pakistan for the continental tournament and urged that the event be transferred to a neutral location.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) asked the Asian Cricket Council to call an emergency meeting after Shah's remark caused some controversy in Pakistan.
The PCB also noted in their statement that Pakistan's participation in the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India in 2023, may be in jeopardy if India chose not to cross the border for the competition.
The Indian team will need permission from the Home Ministry to visit Pakistan, according to earlier that day's statement from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur.
Due to heightened political relations between the two nations, it is noteworthy that Pakistan and India no longer play bilateral cricket and now only compete against each other in international tournaments or multi-team events.
The last time Pakistan visited India was for the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, while India last travelled to Pakistan was for the 2008 Asia Cup. The two teams will next compete against one another on October 23 in Melbourne for the T20 World Cup.