Pak blames visadelay forouster
Pakistan hockey federation calls decision to keep team out of Junior World Cup “unfortunate”, says had applied for visa in time
The Pakistan Hockey Federation has blamed delay in processing of visa by the Indian High Commission for its team’s inability to participate in the Junior Men’s World Cup to be held in Lucknow from Dec 8.
The Pakistan team’s invitation for the tournament was withdrawn by the international hockey federation (FIH) and Malaysia invited instead as they failed to confirm their participation and travel plans within the extended deadline set by the sport’s world governing body.
“How could have we confirmed our participation and travel plans without getting visa. The team could have travelled only after getting the visa. It is for the Indian High Commission to tell why visa was not given to the Pakistan team,” a Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesperson told HT from Lahore.
The spokesperson said PHF secretary general Shahbaz Ahmad Senior, who is in Belgium, has described the FIH decision as “very unfortunate and disappointing” as the team will miss the chance of playing in a world class tournament. “We had got permission from Pakistan government and the visa was the only thing awaited,” Shahbaz was quoted as saying.
Though Shahbaz and the PHF spokesperson both blamed delay in processing of visa as reason for the team’s troubles, it was also a fact that they got permission from Pakistan government only last week and therefore must have submitted the appli-
cations only a few days back.
But as is usual in India-pakistan relations, PHF has cited delay in visa processing as the reason. The PHF was taking the team’s participation in the Junior World Cup as a chance to build sporting ties with Hockey India which were strained since the Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar in 2014 when the then Hockey India president Narinder Batra took exception to the “over-the-top and indecent” celebrations by its players after winning the semifinal against India.