India issues visas to Pakistan team for World Cup 2023.
The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) declared on Monday that the confusion surrounding Pakistan’s participation in the much-anticipated ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has ended, with India finally issuing visas to the Pakistan team.
The confirmation from the ICC came amid complaints about a delay in the visa issue procedure.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had written to the governing body, complaining about a visa delay that had hampered the team’s preparations for the showcase tournament across the border.
“Visas have been issued to the Pakistan team,” an ICC spokesperson told Reuters without elaborating further.
According to PCB spokesperson Umar Farooq, they have been instructed to get their passports from the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
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As India issues visas to Pakistan team for World Cup 2023, due to strained political relations, India and Pakistan have banned bilateral cricket and will only face each other in multi-team events such as the World Cup and Asia Cup.
Farooq had already denounced the “inequitable treatment” meted out to a Pakistan team, which was set to arrive in India on Wednesday, in a sharply worded statement.
“There has been an extraordinary delay in getting clearance and securing Indian visas for the Pakistan team for the ICC World Cup,” Farooq said in the statement.
“We have written to ICC raising our concerns about inequitable treatment towards Pakistan and reminding them of these obligations towards the World Cup.
“It’s a matter of disappointment that the Pakistan team has to go through the uncertainty ahead of the major tournament.”
Pakistan will play two warm-up matches before the start of the World Cup against the Netherlands on October 6.
India and Pakistan will square off in a mouth-watering match on October 14 in Ahmedabad.
India declined to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which took place from August 30 to September 17, and instead played their games in Sri Lanka.
