Union Sports Minister says, "We would not play bilateral matches with Pakistan until . . ."(image: twitter.com/bcci)

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters on Friday that India will not proceed with any bilateral matches with Pakistan until they put an end to terrorism. He said to reporters in Udaipur: “BCCI had decided much earlier that we would not play bilateral matches with Pakistan until they put an end to terrorism, cross-border attacks, and infiltration”.

The minister”s response came as a result of the recent Anantnag”s encounter with Pakistan-based terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir, where Indian Army personnel killed in gunfire. Colonel Manpreet Singh, commanding officer of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Army, Major Ashish Dhonchak, Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Humayun Bhat, and a soldier lost their lives in the gunfight, reports Business Today.

 “I think the sentiments of the country and of the public are also the same,” Minister added. Mr.Thakur has condemned the Anantnag situation, as “unfortunate”.

On Thursday, BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla also addressed the issue and ascertained that “there”s a very clear policy, we don”t play any bilateral series with Pakistan,” told ANI.

“We ask for strict action against the terrorists. In the past 20 years, all the governments has fought against terrorism…The financial state of Pakistan is very bad and despite that supporting terrorism is neither in their interest nor in the world”s interest,” Shukla asserted.