New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The government was not involved in the decision to keep Pakistanis out of the Indian Premier League (IPL), External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Thursday and advised Islamabad to draw a line before making sharp comments.
The government is not involved in the decision, Krishna told reporters, a day after a Pakistani parliamentary delegation cancelled its visit to India after none of the country's cricketers were picked up at an auction for the third edition of the IPL.
Pakistan needs to draw a line before making such comments, Krishna said when asked about strong words used by Pakistani leaders linking the Indian government to the non-selection of Pakistani cricketers by IPL team owners.
After opposition members raised the issue, National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza Wednesday announced in the National Assembly Wednesday that it was a "planned conspiracy" to prevent Pakistani players from featuring in the cash-rich series.
Leader of Opposition Nisar Ali Khan of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) also demanded an immediate ban on the screening of Indian movies in Pakistan.
He declared that the PML-N would not be part of the delegation, following which Mirza announced that the visit had already been called off.