CLT20: Faisalabad Wolves denied visa by Indian government

Faisalabad Wolves

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS): India has refused visas to the players of the Pakistani cricket team, Faisalabad Wolves, to participate in Champions League Twenty20 starting September 17 but Pakistani referee Syed Imtiaz Ali was cleared within two days to attend a FIFA course that started here Wednesday.

Government sources told IANS that the decision against the visas was taken keeping in mind the security situation in the country.

“Taking into account the security requirements as a matter of abundant caution government is not giving green signal for the participation of Faisalabad Wolves,” government sources told IANS.

“This approach is followed in several other recent cases of Pakistani groups planning to visit India. The most recent being the Pakistanis who were to participate in the Amir Khusro festival,” the source added.

The Faisalabad Wolves, led by Misbah-ul-Haq, were scheduled to play in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League T20.

Relations between the two neighbours had taken an ugly turn due to tensions along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. But that didn’t hamper Peshawar-based football referee Ali’s visit to India. His visa was cleared within two days to attend the six-day course in Delhi.

“My visa was cleared within two days. But I had to undergo lot of paperwork at the airport. My movements are also restricted,” Ali told IANS.