Wednesday, November 3, 2010

It¡¯s Unfortunate To Miss Pakistani Players in IPL: India

NEW DELHI: Rejecting Pakistan’s suspicions about New Delhi’s hand in the absence of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League, India on Thursday asked Pakistan to introspect on the “reasons” that have strained bilateral ties and clarified that 17 Pakistani players were given visas. As Pakistan escalated rhetoric over the perceived snub to Pakistani cricketers, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said, “(The) government has nothing to do with IPL, on selection of players and various exercises that are connected with it.”


“So, Pakistan will have to draw a line between where government of India is connected and where government of India is an actor,” he told reporters when asked about the strong words used by Pakistani leaders linking New Delhi to the alleged exclusion of Pakistani cricketers by IPL team owners.





“Blaming the government for the absence of Pakistani players from the next edition of IPL is unfortunate,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement in New Delhi.


“The participation or absence of Pakistani cricketers in a commercial event of the nature of IPL is, thus, a matter not within the purview of the government,” it said.


The government also rejected reports about Pakistani players not getting Indian visas. “Such apprehension is completely misplaced,” the ministry said.


The ministry clarified that 17 Pakistani cricketers were issued requisite Indian visas at very short notice in December 2009 and January this year to participate in IPL 2010.


“Two visas were issued in Islamabad, while three were issued in Wellington (New Zealand) and twelve in Sydney (Australia), where the concerned Pakistani cricketers had applied while touring New Zealand and Australia, respectively,” the ministry said.


Based on a request from the Pakistan Cricket Board to High Commission of India in Islamabad, the ministry said it facilitated necessary clearances from other ministries in India.

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