India today invited the International Cricket Council to hold its KnockOut tournament in this country next year even as its participation in the Sharjah tri-series next month hangs in the balance.

The invitation to hold the tournament in September-October next year was extended by Sports Minister Uma Bharti when ICC President Malcolm Gray called on her at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

Gray, who was accompanied by Indian Cricket Board chief A C Muthiah and vice-president C K Khanna, was promised help in all matters including income-tax, Bharti told reporters later.

Asked whether in the present circumstances Pakistan would be able to participate in it, the Minister said "the tournament is to be held in 2002 and we will attend to it (the matter) then".

Gray, who met reporters immediately after his meeting, said "International sports bodies can't impose sanctions on members in matters beyond their control" obviously meaning that restoration of Indo-Pak sporting ties were subject to clearance from their respective governments.

About the Sharjah tournament next month, also involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Bharti said the decision in this matter would not be hers alone as the Ministries of External Affairs, Home, Finance and the Prime Minister's Office were also involved.

Gray, who arrived here last night, had said in Chennai on Tuesday that ICC wanted India to host the KnockOut tournament. "The venue for the tournament has not been decided as yet. I prefer India to host the tournament," he had said.

Gray today met Union Law Minister Arun Jaitly, who is also President of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, and during his two-day stay, he is also scheduled to meet Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Home Minister L K Advani.

"We are awaiting a word from External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh," Muthiah said. Asked whether Gray also discussed Indo-Pak sporting relations with the Sports Minister, Muthiah said this issue had nothing to do with the ICC Chief.

Gray said he discussed with Bharti "lots of issues including India- Pakistan cricketing relations. The Minister was most supportive". "We can only persuade and use logic," he said when asked how he intended to break the impasse.

Though Bharti said there was no blanket ban on Indo-Pak sporting contacts, the signal that there was no softening of India's stand came with the Minister saying "when India and Pakistan play there are two types of tension -- the Pakistanis want to defeat India at any cost while the Indians want to maintain their honour (garima)".

She said politics should not come into sports but (the state of) friendship does get reflected in the playing arena. Reverting to her meeting with Gray, Bharti said ICC and the Indian Board have their codes of conduct and the Sports Ministry had also drawn up its own which is slightly different. "I told them that whenever this difference come to the fore, I would need their help and cooperation" Asked whether India would participate in the SAF Games to be held in Pakistan later this year, the Minister said "the file is with me. I will take a decision on it".

© PTI