ISLAMABAD - Indian Squash Federation (ISF) and Indian government’s dirty politics deprived Pakistani players of participating in the 19th Asian Senior Individual Squash Championship 2017, which is set to start in Chennai, India from April 26.
The Indian High Commission (IHC) kept on using delaying tactics, despite the visa applications were submitted to them on March 17. Pakistan had fielded four players including Farhan Mehboob, Farhan Zaman, Waqar Mehboob and Tayyab Aslam, while Faheem Gul was accompanying the players as coach and newly-appointed secretary Wing Commander Tahir Sultan as manager.
Friday was last working day and Pakistani contingent was set to depart today (Saturday) despite the secretary remained at the Indian High Commission visa window, but nobody from the commission bothered to hand over visas. When the secretary asked them the status of the visa, he was told that they had received no instructions/directions from Indian high command in this regard.
India has developed a habit of depriving Pakistan players of participation in international events as they not only didn’t issue visas to squash players, but also denied visas to Pakistan kabaddi team and Pakistan junior hockey team for Kabaddi World Cup and Junior Hockey World Cup respectively and moreover; they have also refused to play bilateral cricket series with Pakistan. Now only on the basis of money, India is again dictating the terms and don’t have any fear of action from World Squash Federation (WSF) and Asian Squash Federation (ASF).
When the WSF and ASF was fully aware of the fact that India always play politics into sports and never ready to fulfill international commitments, then on what grounds and reasons, they are allocated international events. If India want their players to have easy ride and they are afraid of playing against Pakistani players, they should clearly request the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) not to send their players.
Indians are well-known for dirty tricks and using money power to get things in their favour. They completely forget that they are simply zero when it comes to squash. Yes, they could have their president of the ASF just because of black money, but they couldn’t even stand close to what Pakistan has achieved in the world of squash, as they have produced world champions and ruled the game for four decades. India can never dream of such glory as far as the game of squash is concerned.
It is world and the ASF’s moral and legal responsibility to either cancel the event, allocating the hosting rights to other country or bound India to issue visas to Pakistani contingent. India has already deprived Pakistan’s top most squash player of modern era Nasir Iqbal from world number 35 to world number 400, as he was facing unannounced PSA ban for more than 15 months for an undone crime. Pakistan should take the 12th South Asian Games case very seriously, and instead of making tall claims, the PSF should have come out clearly and teach Indians a lesson to remember.
When this scribe contacted PSF honorary secretary Wing Commander Tahir Sultan to seek his point of view, he said: “We were following visa process from day one after submitting the visa applications with Indian High Commission, as we didn’t want to give them any chance to use it as tool and deny Pakistani contingent visas. But despite several reminders and visits, the result was zero. Pakistani contingent was set to leave for India today (Saturday) as we were expecting Friday is last working day and there is no time left, they might issue visas, but once again despite spending hours in Indian High Commission, nothing was done by Indian High Commission regarding issuing of visas.
“We will not sit back, take the issue at the highest level and talk to the WSF, the ASF and at every available forum. Our players had worked very hard in the training camps. Their two-month long and hard training would go waste, besides we stand highly bright chances of lifting the title. The WSF must take action and give Pakistan due right,” Tahir concluded.
