Pakistan’s sports minister Riaz Pirzada is mulling the enforcement of a complete ban on sending sports teams from the country to India in the near future, the PTI reported on Thursday.
“We are considering taking such a step after the treatment meted out to the Pakistan junior hockey team by the Indian High Commission and the International Hockey Federation which is headed by an Indian,” Pirzada was quoted as saying by PTI.
Recently, the International Hockey Federation had excluded Pakistan from the ongoing Junior World Cup in Lucknow alleging that it failed to confirm its participation.
Pakistan alleges that it could not send a confirmation as it did not receive visas from the Indian High Commission. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has since stated that passports of their hockey team have still not been released by the Indian High Commission.
Pirzada is reported to have said that his ministry would soon consult his country’s foreign affairs ministry, the Pakistan Sports Board, Pakistan Olympic Association and the Prime Minister before taking any further step.
