YET another sporting event between Pakistan and India is being overshadowed by politics. The All India Tennis Association admitted on Thursday that it may have to forfeit its Davis Cup Group I Playoff tie in Pakistan, as it awaits clearance from its government to travel across the border. India’s top players Sumit Nagal and Sasikumar Mukund had already refused to travel to Pakistan for the tie. The AITA subsequently failed to shift the tie to a neutral country. The AITA’s request for a neutral venue was rejected by the 15-member Davis Cup Committee as was its appeal to the International Tennis Federation Tribunal. The tie, scheduled for February, will see the winners retain their place in Group I. If the Indians get the green signal, it would be the team’s first visit to Pakistan in 60 years. In its request for shifting the tie out of Pakistan, the AITA had said it was taking place too close to the February polls in Pakistan. Thankfully, the Committee pointed out that Pakistan has successfully held ties in the recent past, unlike in 2019 when another India-Pakistan contest was shifted to Kazakhstan.

The Committee’s move of not buckling to Indian pressure contrasts with the approach of the Asian Cricket Council and International Cricket Council. The ACC had shifted a major part of this year’s Asia Cup, originally set to be hosted by Pakistan, to Sri Lanka. Pakistan then travelled to India for the ICC ODI World Cup hoping their neighbour would reciprocate when Pakistan hosts the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. But already there are reports that India is pushing the ICC to shift its matches to another venue. Despite the cricket stand-off, the Indian bridge team visited Pakistan for the BFAME Championship, and the Pakistan football team went to India for the SAFF Championship. It is hoped that the Indian government sends the right message by not politicising the Davis Cup tie.

Published in Dawn, December 30th, 2023