'No India-Pakistan matches until India tours Pakistan'

Pakistan on Sunday night threatened to cut off all cricketing relations with India until New Delhi gave permission to its team to tour Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board president Lt Gen Tauqir Zia told reporters in Islamabad that matches between the two countries at neutral venues were not possible till the Indian team toured Pakistan.

"Pakistan toured India in 1999 although pitches in that country were dug out on that occasion. Now that country (India) must send its team, otherwise there would be no cricket relations with them," Zia said.

Zia said the Indian government had assured PCB that their team would play in the Asian Test Championship matches. "Their volte-face now is beyond comprehension," he said.

India had pulled out of the Asian Test Championship with the Government refusing to permit the team to play Pakistan in a match in Lahore from September 13 to 17.

Zia said ATC would will go ahead as scheduled despite the pull out. "The Asian Test championships will go on despite India's absence," he declared.

He said bilateral tournaments between the two countries had the potential to create goodwill among the people on both sides of the border. "If India tours Pakistan and competes in ATC, so much the better for cricket and for bilateral relations. If the two teams play and also there is exchange of coaches and other cricket officials, it will create goodwill between the two countries."