By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has formally asked hockey’s Asian governing body to strip India of next month’s Men’s Asian Champions Trophy or relocate all of Pakistan’s matches to neutral territory, deepening the sporting fallout from the countries’ fraught relationship.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation confirmed on Wednesday that it had written to the Asian Hockey Federation requesting the switch, citing what it called the “sensitive bilateral situation and security conditions” between the neighbours. The move leaves Pakistan’s participation in the six-team tournament, scheduled to begin on 27 October, hanging on a decision the Asian body has yet to make.
PHF president Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani, who doubles as federal secretary at Pakistan’s Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, said the request was designed to guarantee “a safe, dignified and conducive environment” for the country’s players and officials. He insisted the federation was not seeking to withdraw from the competition, only to avoid staging matches on Indian soil.
“Pakistan remains fully committed to participating in the Asian Champions Trophy and international hockey and is ready to play against all FIH member nations, including India,” Wani said in a statement, adding that the PHF stood by “the principle of keeping sports separate from politics.”
Pakistani officials say the decision to pursue a neutral venue was taken at the direction of the federal government. It follows a pattern established last year, when Pakistan withdrew from the Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu as tensions with India escalated.
The tournament, which will run until 5 November, is due to be shared between two Indian Punjab cities. Jalandhar hosts the opening ceremony and the entire league stage, including Pakistan’s scheduled meeting with India on 1 November, while Mohali stages the semi-finals and final on 4 and 5 November. Alongside hosts India and Pakistan, the field includes China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea, with Bangladesh and Oman on standby should any team pull out.
The PHF’s approach to the AHF came just two days after Wani had struck a more cautious tone, telling reporters that Pakistan’s participation remained contingent on clearance from Islamabad. “The visit of the Pakistan team will depend on government clearance. We will do whatever the government asks us to do,” he said at the time.
That uncertainty was compounded by comments from Bhagwant Mann, chief minister of India’s Punjab state, who told reporters in Mohali that Pakistan would be among the six teams competing. “There is no problem in multi-national tournaments. Maybe individual series [between India and Pakistan] cannot take place,” Mann said, when pressed on whether the necessary clearances had come through. His remarks prompted a swift clarification from the PHF, which said no final decision had yet been made on sending the team to India.
The episode is the latest reminder of how thoroughly politics has come to shadow cricket and hockey fixtures between the two nations. Indian players have on several occasions declined to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts at the end of matches, a gesture that has itself become a flashpoint in the broader relationship.
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