KARACHI: The Indian government has not yet issued visas to the Pakistan’s netball team, barring them from participating in the forthcoming 13th Asian Netball Championship.
It is to be noted that the Championship is set to kick off on October 18 in Bangalore, India.
In regard to this, the Pakistan's Netball Federation (PNF) criticised the Asian and World Netball bodies over the exclusion of the national team.
Despite being fully prepared, the team has been left out of the event, and the championship draw has been announced without Pakistan’s inclusion.
In regard to this, the president of the PNF, Mudassar Arain revealed: “The visa applications were submitted three weeks ago, but no response has been received from the Indian authorities despite multiple reminders.”
It is worth noting that the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the team.
Meanwhile, the PNF hired a foreign women's coach for the team's training.
With some players getting trained under the supervision of the foreign coach in London.
The sudden announcement has been detrimental to the PNF, with the federation facing significant financial losses.
In retaliation, the PNF reported: “team’s preparation efforts are wasted.”
Atique ur Rehman Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.
