India’s visa denial to Pakistan Women’s Netball team draws flak

The Indian government has not yet given visas to Pakistan’s netball team, stopping them from taking part in the upcoming 13th Asian Netball Championship. The tournament is set to begin on October 18 in Bangalore, India.

The Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) criticized both the Asian and World Netball organizations for excluding their team from the event. Although the team was fully prepared, the championship draw was released without Pakistan’s inclusion.

PNF President, Mudassar Arain, said that they had applied for visas three weeks ago but have not received any response from Indian authorities, despite several reminders. Pakistan’s Sports Board had already given the team an official No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The PNF had also hired a foreign women’s coach to help train the team, with some players receiving training in London under her guidance. The sudden exclusion has caused financial losses for the federation, and they expressed their frustration, saying, “all the team’s hard work has been wasted.”