KARACHI: Former world champion Jansher Khan has said that sports provide opportunities to nurture friendly relations among the nations but unfortunately India does not believe in it.
“In case of any international tournament in India, Indian High Commission does not issue visas [to Pakistani players] and use delaying tactics,” said Jansher in a statement on Sunday.
He suggested that Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF), Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), and Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) raise this issue before the international governing bodies of squash.
“Pakistan had not only issued visas to Indian players generously when an international squash tournament was held in Pakistan a few months ago but also welcomed them wholeheartedly by providing all sorts of facilities to them,” said Jansher.
It is worth adding here that Professional Squash Association (PSA) has taken notice of the situation. In its Players Update recently, PSA stated: “Pakistani players are struggling to get visas for most countries, and with the limited number of tournaments in Pakistan, the Pakistani players are getting less chances than their fellow players to compete in tournaments.”
Jansher also advised PSF to hold junior international tournaments along with senior events. He added that PSF should establish junior national academies. “If players work hard, we can regain our lost prestige. For this purpose, PSF should pay special attention to the physical training of junior players,” said Jansher. There was a time when India was not even in the top-fifty, he said. But Indian players are now among the top fifteen of the world, said the former world champion.
He added that Pakistani players were not even in top-80. Jansher said he expected Pakistan squash to grow rapidly under the supervision of PSF’s new president Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan.
