'It's just a match, it should go on'; Supreme Court rejects petition seeking to cancel India-Pak match in Asia Cup

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has said that the upcoming India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup is just a game and should go ahead. The apex court was responding to a petition that sought to cancel the match. The request from the petitioners for an urgent hearing was also rejected. The bench pointed out that there was no urgency in the matter and stressed that "it is just a match."

The petition was filed by four law students, who argued that playing against Pakistan, in the backdrop of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, would send out a message against national interest and amount to disrespecting the armed forces. The Supreme Court dismissed this plea.

Earlier, the Union Sports Ministry had clarified that there was no restriction on India playing Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments. However, it reiterated that India's long-standing position against playing bilateral series with Pakistan remains unchanged. Following the Pahalgam attack, some organisations had demanded that India should not face Pakistan in the Asia Cup.

Recently, India had withdrawn from playing Pakistan in the Masters Cricket Tournament. The India–Pakistan Asia Cup clash is scheduled for September 14 in Dubai. Both teams are placed in the same group, along with the UAE and Oman. With India and Pakistan expected to advance from the group stage, there is also a strong chance of them facing each other again later in the tournament, possibly even in the final.