Pakistan wrestlers likely to be denied Indian visa for Asian Championships

Pakistani wrestlers might not be able to take part in the upcoming Asian Wrestling Championships that will be held in New Delhi next month after Indian High Commission has not accepted the application and the passports of the athletes from the country, despite getting an invitation letter to participate in the event by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

A six-member contingent from Pakistan had applied for visas for the event that will be held From February 18 to February 23. Four wrestlers, namely Muhammad Bilal, Abdul Rehman, Tayab Raza and Zaman Anwar besides two officials had sought visas, which was denied as the Indian High Commission claimed that the applications were given late.

"The High Commission refused to take the passport and said the time is too less to grant visa. We still have 20 days for the Asian Championships," an official of the Pakistan Wrestling Federation (PWF) told Scroll.in.

The PWF has now requested the External Affairs to interfere in the matter, and a letter for the same has been sent to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.

Last year, after India had denied visas to Pakistani shooters to participate in the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi following the Pulwama attacks, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had banned the country from hosting any international events. They had also withdrawn the Olympic quota places of the shooting events in which the Pakistanis were to take part in. The IOC had stated that denying visas to players from other countries to participate in global events was against the Olympic Charter, and had proceeded to urge all international sporting bodies to not stage competitions in the country.

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The Indian Government, then, had to write to the IOC, stating that no athlete would be denies a visa for future events that will be held in the nation after which the ban had been withdrawn.

Back in 2017 as well, the squash and the wrestling teams from Pakistan had been unable to take part in the Asian Squash and the Wrestling Championships in Chennai and Delhi respectively after they had not been granted visas.

While the international relationship between the two countries is at crossroads, denying sportsmen the right to play based on political tensions is not the right way forward.