World Cup 2023
In a significant development, the Indian embassy has initiated the processing of visas for Pakistani journalists who plan to travel to India to cover the ongoing International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
On Tuesday, the embassy began contacting journalists interested in covering the prestigious event in India and instructed them to promptly submit their passports.
This long-awaited development occurred a day after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) once again expressed its disappointment regarding the delay in the issuance of Indian visas for Pakistani fans and journalists, despite the World Cup 2023 being nearly a week into progress.
The mega cricket event commenced on October 5, but Indian authorities had not issued visas to Pakistanis, creating uncertainty for their attendance.
In a statement, the PCB revealed that PCB Management Committee Chairman Zaka Ashraf had personally contacted Pakistan Foreign Secretary Syrus Sajjad Qazi to convey serious concerns about the delay in granting visas to fans and journalists.
Ashraf also requested the foreign secretary to address this matter with India’s Home Ministry through the Pakistan High Commission Office in New Delhi.
As per ICC regulations, the host country is obligated to issue visas to fans and journalists covering the events. However, India had been unresponsive to Pakistan’s concerns.
The statement expressed the PCB’s deep disappointment with the ongoing uncertainty faced by Pakistani journalists and fans in obtaining Indian visas to cover Pakistan’s games in the ICC World Cup 2023.
Additionally, the PCB once more reminded the ICC and the BCCI of their respective responsibilities and obligations, as outlined in the Host agreement, to ensure visas for fans and journalists from participating teams.
