Pakistan and India may be at daggers drawn politically and diplomatically, but friendships and partnerships at a people to people level tell a different story.  Pakistan’s tennis ace Aisam ul Haq and India’s Rohan Boppana will reunite once again-- for the second time in the year--to play ATP Sofia Cup starting from Monday. The duo, also known as The Ind0-Pak Express, is likely to play more tournaments together in the coming months, media reports said.

Aisam ul Haq confirmed to Geo News of Pakistan that he is partnering with Rohan Bopanna for this week’s ATP Sofia Open in Bulgaria. 

“Yes, I am partnering with him in Sofia and the next three tournaments. We’ll decide about the future after these tournaments,” he was quoted as saying by Geo News. Both Haq and Boppana are also recipients of the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award for spreading messages of peace and harmony.

Both players partnered at a Challenger event in Denver in 2003 for the first time and then went on to win five ATP doubles titles. They played the 2010 US Open final and stormed into the top 10 doubles’ ranking.

Earlier in March this year, they came together for a tournament--the first time since September 2014-- when they partnered at Acapulco, Mexico. The duo, however, lost their first match. 

Sports has previously also bonded athletes on both sides of the political divide. Pakistan cricket star and former captain Shoaib Malik and India's most successful woman tennis player Sania Mirza are a happy cross-border couple with a son.