Back‘Extraordinary delay’: Pakistan get visa hours before travelling to India; here’s what actually happened
Pakistan cricket team's visas for ODI World Cup in India were finally approved after delays.
PremiumThe International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the Pakistan cricket team's visas for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India have finally been approved. This news comes after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed concerns over delayed visa processing, saying it hampered the team's preparations for the cross-border event.
Umar Farooq, the spokesperson for PCB, had earlier released a strongly-worded statement expressing dissatisfaction with the "extraordinary delay" in securing Indian visas. According to Farooq, the process had been fraught with setbacks and uncertainties, causing disruptions to the team's preparations. PCB also stated that it had officially communicated these concerns to the ICC.
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"It's a matter of disappointment that Pakistan team has to go through the uncertainty ahead of the major tournament," Reuters quoted Farooq as saying in the statement.
Farooq confirmed that the team had been instructed to collect their passports from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
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The visa approval is critical at a time when India and Pakistan have paused bilateral cricket matches, owing to strained political ties between the neighbouring nations. The teams now only face each other in multi-nation tournaments such as the World Cup and the Asia Cup. The visa issue had added another layer of tension to the already high-stakes relationship between the two cricketing rivals.
The Pakistan team is set to land in India on September 27, following which they'll engage in two warm-up matches. Their World Cup campaign kicks off against the Netherlands on October 6. But all eyes are set on October 14, when India and Pakistan will go head-to-head in what promises to be an electrifying contest in Ahmedabad.
Interestingly, India had opted not to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup, choosing to play their matches in Sri Lanka instead. The tournament took place between August 30 and September 17. This move further fuelled speculations about the uneasy cricketing relations between the two nations.
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Clearances from three ministries—Home, External Affairs and Sports—are needed for visa applications from Pakistan. The ICC, however, declined to elaborate on the specifics of the visa approval, leaving many questions unanswered.
(With Reuters inputs)
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