Union Sports Minister Vijay Goel made a categorical statement on Monday declaring that Pakistani players won't be welcome to take part in the upcoming season of Pro Kabaddi league (PKl).
"They (organisers) can call them but they can't make them play. Even if they are selected, it is government of India which will decide whether they are allowed or not. Unless Pakistan gets rid of terrorism, it is impossible to play with Pakistan," the minister said.
Earlier in the day, at a press conference organised by PKl authorities, questions were raised about the presence of Pakistani players among those up for grabs in the auction for the fifth season of the tournament.
Charu Sharma, Director of Mashal Sports, the main organisers of the event, said the decision of whether to let Pakistani players take part is entirely up to the government.
"From our point of view, Pakistan is a very important country in the world of Kabaddi. Their players had a key role in the growth of the sport in the 1980's and 90's. Some of the best players in the game are from that country. So, we would be very happy if they take part in the event. However, if the government decides against it, we would be equally happy as we have to accept the decision."
Sharma further added that teams would be provided with alternative overseas players if the Pakistani players bought by them don't get a visa.
Anup Kumar, one of the key players for U Mumba, echoed Sharma's sentiments.
"As players, we want all the best names in the game to take part in the league. So, yes, we would like to see Pakistani players alongside us in our teams."
Sharma, who was addressing the media in a press conference introduced the owners of four new teams that will take part in the event, taking the number of sides in the tournament to 12. He praised the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India for their support.
"We received a lot of support from the federation, without which, it wouldn't have been possible to achieve this kind of success."
He also mentioned the positive attitude of players and officials to rule changes brought in by orgainsers of the league.
"If there was even the slightest of opposition to the tweaking of rules, we wouldn't have gone ahead with it. But the federation trusted us and realized that we were doing this to make the game more viewer-friendly. Players also took some time to get used to it but they also understood the reasons behind these changes."
Sharma also said that the league will now be India's biggest in terms of teams, matches and duration.
"With the introduction of these four new sides, PKl would grow into the biggest sporting league in India as far as number of teams and duration of the tournament is concerned. This is a matter of pride for all of us as this is our very own indigenous game."