Indian tennis team captain says players want safety guarantees for Pakistan trip

Published August 14, 2019
Indian tennis players want safety guarantees before they travel to Islamabad for their Davis Cup tie against Pakistan, captain Mahesh Bhupathi said on Wednesday. — AFP/File
Indian tennis players want safety guarantees before they travel to Islamabad for their Davis Cup tie against Pakistan, captain Mahesh Bhupathi said on Wednesday. — AFP/File

Indian tennis players want safety guarantees before they travel to Islamabad for their Davis Cup tie against Pakistan, captain Mahesh Bhupathi said on Wednesday.

Pakistan last week asked India's ambassador to leave, suspended bilateral trade and all public transport links with India after New Delhi's recent move to revoke the special autonomy status of occupied Kashmir.

Read: Pakistan suspends trade ties with India, asks Indian envoy to leave

Bhupathi said security was his main concern for the team.

"We just want guarantees on safety," he told Reuters by email.

The All India Tennis Association (AITA) said on Wednesday they had written to the sport's governing body once again asking them to shift the tie to a neutral venue or to postpone it for a couple of months until tensions simmer down.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has already responded to a previous AITA request, saying they were satisfied with the current safety plan in place in Islamabad.

"The recent developments have resulted in an atmosphere which is not conducive for a happy friendly tie between the two teams which have immense respect for each other," AITA General Secretary Hironmoy Chatterjee wrote to the ITF in an email seen by Reuters.

"Whether or not there is a security threat in Islamabad, the moods of the two nations are deeply affected and there is an undercurrent of tension which is perhaps not being taken into account by the Security Agency of ITF in their assessment."

The India association have also asked the ITF to share the security reports from its assessment of the situation in Islamabad and to set up a call between their respective security consultants.

The AITA has named a six-member squad under Bhupathi for the September 14-15 tie.

An Indian tennis team last went to Pakistan in 1964 for a Davis Cup tie, defeating the hosts 4-0, while Pakistan lost 3-2 on their last visit to India in 2006.

Pakistan was forced to host Davis Cup ties at neutral venues for more than a decade as teams refused to travel to the country because of security concerns.

They played their first home tie after a gap of 12 years against Iran in 2017, while Hong Kong was relegated and fined by the ITF after they refused to travel to Pakistan the same year.

India's cricket team have not toured Pakistan since 2007 and bilateral ties between the countries have remained suspended since 2008, although they have met in international competitions.

India's sports minister Kiren Rijiju has said the government would not prevent the team from playing the Davis Cup tie in Pakistan as it was not a bilateral series and was organised by a world governing body.

Opinion

Editorial

Unsustainable growth
Updated 23 Jun, 2026

Unsustainable growth

CLICHÉS are an essential part of political rhetoric. But when repeated often, they lose their impact. So when...
Banned speeches
23 Jun, 2026

Banned speeches

NATIONAL Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Sunday formally lifted long-standing restrictions on the airing of ...
New GB government
23 Jun, 2026

New GB government

WITH the newly elected lawmakers of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly taking oath on Monday, the PPP looks set to head...
A costly cut
Updated 22 Jun, 2026

A costly cut

Climate risks are increasing and public investment should reflect that reality.
Guarded access
22 Jun, 2026

Guarded access

ONE of the government’s ‘novel’ proposals to snag tax evaders has collided with some harsh realities. On...
Lyari’s passion
22 Jun, 2026

Lyari’s passion

THE love for football in Lyari knows no bounds. The World Cup might be underway thousands of miles away in North...