India-Pak thaw faces early test: visas for T20 World Cup
AMONG THE first tests of whether the latest thaw along the Line of Control (LoC) will lead to a wider easing of tensions between India and Pakistan, it will be in another arena where the two remain staunch rivals: cricket.
An official source in Pakistan told The Indian Express that the country’s cricket board wants a “guarantee” from BCCI that the government will grant Pakistani fans visas to watch the T20 World Cup to be played in India later this year. anus.
Official sources in India said that if there are no “incidents” to alter or end the ceasefire agreement in the LoC, there are plans to open cricket and other sports ties between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the President of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ehsan Mani, has already written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking it to ensure that, in addition to the team and squad, visas are granted to all “stakeholders” and others interested in watching the games.
The T20 World Cup will be held in October-November, but the PCB wants an advance “Indian guarantee” that visas will be granted to the Pakistani public, as well as journalists and board officials. “If visas are not guaranteed, then PCB will ask ICC to change location from India,” said the source. During interactions with the media in Pakistan, Mani has said that if he does not get a “written guarantee”, he would ask the ICC to change the venue to the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday, Mani told The Indian Express that “it is the responsibility of the ICC” to ensure that visas are granted to all interested parties under the Member Participation Agreement. While he’s known to have raised this with the ICC repeatedly over the past three months, the LoC’s February 25 deal has led to optimism that the visas could be granted.
A BCCI official, who did not want to be named, said the decision would be made by the government taking into account all factors, including Covid. “The Government has to respond to an appeal to allow fans to enter the stadium. The BCCI does not have jurisdiction over the issuance of visas. If the government allows it, we have no problem. At the same time, these are not normal times. No country can guarantee that it will maintain its obligations under the Member Participation Agreement during a pandemic, ”the official said.
The last time the Pakistan team played on Indian soil was in the T20 championship in March 2016, two months after the Pathankot attack. On that occasion, the Interior Ministry issued multi-city visas to Pakistani fans who had match tickets.
Before that, India granted visas to Pakistani fans for the semifinal of the 2011 World Cup in Mohali. Then-Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani also came to Mohali and watched the match with then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The last time the two countries played a bilateral local series was in 2007-2008 in India. And the 2019 World Cup in England was when the two teams last met in a neutral venue.
(With Shamik Chakrabarty)
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.