ISLAMABAD, Feb 6: President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf said Wednesday Pakistan was willing to play India anytime and was ready to send their teams to that country.

“We are keen to play against them anywhere,” he said and added that India should not mix sports with politics.

The Pakistan hockey team was given a piece of sound presidential advice, for the forthcoming World Cup: “Never give up”.

President Musharraf told the members of the squad that won a six-nation tournament in Malaysia last month, to play with determination in the World Cup and not be overawed by any side.

“Even if you are 0-3 behind, you should keep your nerve and fight to the last,” the team members for whom the president hosted a reception at the Chief Executive Secretariat, were told.

Musharraf announced cash awards of Rs 100,000 each for the team members for their feat in Malaysia.

He hoped that the players would continue to show the same spirit that helped them win the six-team tournament, in the upcoming World Cup.

The World Cup, featuring 16 teams is slated to run in Kuala Lumpur between Feb 24 and March 9.

The president said that the sportsmen would be provided regular jobs in the departments and the matter of players being thrown out by the employers would also be looked into.

Musharraf made it clear that there would be no compromise on the new sports policy and that it would be “fully implemented”.

The president’s comments on the policy is bound to send shockwaves in the ranks of the Pakistan Olympic Association and most of the national federations.

The policy bars office-bearers of the federations to hold office for more than two terms of four years each, meaning that a fairly high number of officials would have to pack up and go. “Policies are meant to be implemented and there should be no ambiguity in this regard,” Musharraf made it clear.