ISLAMABAD, Aug 7: The government on Thursday gave the go- ahead to the SAF Games Organising Committee to hold the event in early 2004 in Islamabad.

The Games that had to be postponed twice, first in 2001 and then again in 2002, were eventually cancelled in March this year and allotted to Sri Lanka.

The decision to hold the 9th edition of the Games was taken at a Cabinet meeting held in Islamabad.

The Ministry of Sports has now been directed to coordinate with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) to convene a meeting of the South Asian Sports Federation (SASF).

It is the SASF which is to take a final decision in this regard. But in all probability, it will agree to Pakistan staging the Games, especially because Sri Lanka are said to be not ready for holding them.

The first postponement of the SAF Games that were originally to take place in October of 2001 came about because of the events of 9-11 and the subsequent US-led war in Afghanistan.

The Games were then rescheduled for March 2002 but the event had to be put back again till March 2003 as tensions between Pakistan and India rose over the disputed Kashmir region. Then came the eventual cancellation in March this year because of the War in Iraq.