Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has called for the revival of cricket diplomacy between Pakistan and India, urging the Indian cricket team to visit Pakistan for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Speaking during a meeting with a delegation of Indian journalists, Sharif emphasized the need for both countries to move beyond their bitter past and work towards normalizing relations.

Sharif expressed optimism, saying the recent visit of an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan for the SCO summit could serve as a starting point for improved ties between the two neighbors.

“If you ask the Indian cricket team, they would also suggest playing in Pakistan. Despite they are ready to play, however, those who have power to allow them don’t grant them permission,” he told the journalists.

The former Prime Minister also remarked that it would have been even more symbolic if Indian PM Narendra Modi had attended the SCO summit. Nonetheless, the presence of Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar marked a significant step, as he became the first Indian official to visit Pakistan in almost a decade.

"The SCO conference could mark a good start for Pakistan-India relations. A lot could improve if Pakistan-India ties are restored," he said.

"If you ask the Indian team, I am sure they would also say they want to come and play in Pakistan," he added. However, Nawaz acknowledged that the past has been bitter. "Let's see what the future holds," he remarked.

India last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup, and the two nations have only met on neutral grounds in ICC events and Asia Cup tournaments since then. The strained political relationship between the arch-rivals has kept bilateral cricket series off the table. Despite Pakistan's multiple visits to India in recent years, the possibility of India traveling to Pakistan remains clouded by uncertainty.

With Pakistan set to host the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, doubts linger over whether India will participate. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly weighing several options, including the original plan of Pakistan hosting the entire tournament, a hybrid model where India’s matches and knockout stages are played in Dubai, or relocating the event to a neutral venue, such as Dubai, Sri Lanka, or South Africa.

Pakistan has not hosted a major ICC event since the 1996 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India and Sri Lanka. The country lost its rights to co-host the 2011 edition after the 2009 terror attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.