Pakistan to miss snooker championship after New Delhi denies visa

Pakistan’s snooker squad will not attend the International Billiards and Snooker Federation (IBSF) World U17 and U21 Snooker Championship in Bangalore since Indian officials refused to give Pakistani athletes visas.

The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) has confirmed the situation and expressed their sincere regret for the lost chance.

The confirmation comes at the time when national group; consisted of three young players, Ahsan Ramzan, M Hasnain Akhtar, and M Hamza Ilyas along with Chairman, Alamgir A Shaikh, and referee, Naveed Kapadia were all set for esteemed tournament.

It has to be noted that the team was forced to not participate in the tournament, which is scheduled to start today till August 31, even though they already had an approval from the Pakistan Sports Board and other relevant authorities.

The PBSA has also filed a complaint with IBSF in protest against the Billiard and Snooker Federation of India. “This is a substantial setback not only for our team but also for the international snooker community,” stated a PBSA spokesperson.

The group, which was excited to represent Pakistan on the international forum, had expressed regret over this current situation.