FIH chief Ikram said they will resume Indo-Pak bilateral hockey if possible

International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Tayyab Ikram on Tuesday said they will resume bilateral contests between India and Pakistan "tomorrow" if given a choice, as the storied rivalry makes the sport stronger.

It has been 18 years since arch-rivals India and Pakistan have locked horns in a bilateral hockey Test series.

"There are certain different ways to approach it. Bilateral series is beyond the control of FIH. It's a decision by federations after taking into considerations government and political understandings and as an FIH representative, I do respect their decisions," FIH president Tayyab Ikram told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"For us, given a choice, we want to start tomorrow with a bilateral hockey series between India and Pakistan. It is good for both India and Pakistan, and world hockey," added the Pakistan-born administrator, who is now a citizen of Macau.

The last bilateral series between the two neighbours took place in 2006, which Pakistan won 3-1. Since