Pakistan squash contingent will now participate in World Junior Squash Championships, which starts from 17 July in Chennai, after the Indian High Commission finally issued visas to the team.
 
Visas have been given to the entire contingent comprising six players and three officials.
 
The news has also been confirmed by Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) secretary, Tahir Sultan. The last player in the team got his visa on 4 June, he added.
 
He expressed his gratitude to the World Squash Federation and Asian Squash Federation, which reportedly got the Indian squash body to convince their government to grant visa to Pakistan.
 
Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) approached the World and Asian bodies and even asked them to cancel the event in India if the government was not willing to listen, said Sultan, as reported by the Press Trust of India.
 
“PSF has requested the WSF to ensure participation of Pakistani players or cancel the event. How strange is this…India wants to hold championship without major stake holders — the defending champions. This is something which is highly against the spirit of sports,” he said while speaking to Dawn. He also said that there should be no politics in sports.
 
According to Sultan, the World Junior Championship is an international event of the World Squash Federation and keeping Pakistan team out of it was unjustified, especially when they are the defending champions.
 
In 2016, Pakistan won the World Team Junior Squash Championships, which was held in Poland, defeating the defending champions Egypt in the finals.
 
Initially, the Indian High Commission denied visas to the team and returned their passports.  Last year too, the authority refused to grant visas to four-member Pakistani squash team, thus denying them the chance to play in the Asian Senior Individual Championship.
 
Sultan said given the fact that squash is becoming popular in India, people will be benefitted from watching the Pakistan team play.