CHANDIGARH, September 14, 2026 (Nosheen): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has confirmed that the Pakistan hockey team will participate in the upcoming Men’s Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in India from October 27 to November 5. India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea will compete in the six-team tournament. Mann said India’s existing policy allows Pakistan to participate in multinational sporting events, while bilateral contests between the two countries remain restricted. He said there was no issue with Pakistan participating in multinational tournaments, although bilateral series between India and Pakistan could not currently take place. The tournament will be staged in Jalandhar and Mohali, with league-stage matches scheduled for Jalandhar before the semi-finals and final are played in Mohali. Oman and Bangladesh have been named as reserve teams in case any of the participating sides withdraw. India will enter the competition as defending champions after winning the 2023 edition in Chennai and retaining the title in 2024 in Hulunbuir, China. India’s sports policy currently does not allow bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan amid tensions between the two countries, but the Sports Ministry has maintained that both nations can compete against each other in multilateral competitions in accordance with the Olympic Charter. Mann also assured full support from the Punjab government for the tournament, which will be hosted by the province for the first time. Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, who was also present at the event, said relations between the hockey federations of India and Pakistan remained positive and that the two organisations shared good relations.