KARACHI: Commi­ssioner Karachi Shoaib Siddiqui on Monday held out firm assurance to Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Federation (PBSF) pertaining to providing foolproof security to foreign teams during the IBSF World 6-Reds and Team Championship which begins at a local hotel on Thursday.

“Hosting of the world event in the metropolis is an honour not only for the country but for the city as well and all out efforts would be made to stage it smoothly,” he said while presiding over a meeting on security at his office.

He directed the officials of the concerned department to make necessary arrangements in this regard.

Lauding the efforts of the PBSF he said the world event will serve as a milestone in building the positive image of the country.

The PBSF president Alamgir Shaikh disclosed that players from 18 nations including Pakistan will compete in the event.

The meeting was attended among others by officials of various departments including Police, Rangers and the KMC.

Meanwhile, visas could not be issued to the Indian players and officials on Monday, officials said.

The Pakistan embassy in New Delhi has assured to issue visas to the Indian delegation on Tuesday, a top PBSF official said while quoting Pakistan embassy staff in Delhi.

Meanwhile, the vice-president of the International Billi­a­rds and Snooker Federation (IBSF) Mr. Maxime Cassis, who is also the President of the European Billiards and Snooker Association (EBSA) and tournament director Joseph Lo are due to arrive here on Tuesday morning.

Organisers are busy giving final touches to the arrangements. The 16 brand new Shender tables imported from China will be erected by Tuesday. Besides, there will be four practice tables.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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