Apparently new to nuances of Indo-Pak issues, BJP President Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said there was nothing wrong in Pakistan cricketers participating in IPL but a little later he clarified that such ties are not possible till cross-border terrorism is put to an end.
"I feel what is the fault of the cricketers in this. We also feel a cricketer is not an extremist nor is he a supporter (of terrorism).
"Not all (Pakistani) citizens are like that or whole government is like that...This is not the case," he told CNN-IBN, when asked about Pakistani cricketers being kept out of the IPL bidding.
He said, "I think we should play. I am telling you repeatedly that we should make all efforts for a smooth relationship. But at the same time, this will be fruitful only if Pakistan makes a commitment that we will not do this (cross-border terrorism) and will prove this," Gadkari said.
The BJP president asserted that once this was done some good will come out of our efforts.
However, later Gadkari clarified that BJP was not against cricket or sports or against talks with Pakistan.
{{/usCountry}}However, later Gadkari clarified that BJP was not against cricket or sports or against talks with Pakistan.
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