Pakistan cricket board demands visa guarantee for ICC tournaments in India
Amid growing political tensions between India and Pakistan, cricketing ties between the two nation have worsened. With emotions running high in India, there have been demands to boycott Pakistan in the upcoming ICC World Cup.
After the International Cricket Council (ICC) turned down Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) request to server ties with nations from which terrorism enamates, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ehsan Mani raised the issue of visa guarantee at ICC Board meeting held in Dubai.
It has been learnt that Pakistan demanded a guarantee of visas for its players to take part in the future ICC tournaments in India. Mani wanted a guarantee from the ICC that Pakistani players won't face any visa issues to take part in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2023 Cricket World Cup which are scheduled to be staged in India.
Responding to Mani’s query, ICC assured Pakistan that there was enough time for a call to be taken on visa issues. The visa queries are discussed only a year ahead of the tournament. India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012-13, having only met in the major ICC tournaments.
The tensions between the two cricketing stalwart grew after Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy of 78 vehicles carrying 2,547 soldiers by a car bomb in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14. More than 40 CRPF jawans were killed and many others were injured. This was termed as the worst attack on Indian soldiers since 1989 insurgency started in the valley.
