ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: The 37-member visiting Indian shooting team expressed their satisfaction over security arrangements and declared that Pakistan was a safe venue for international sporting events.

The Indian marksmen are participating in the fourth South Asian shooting championship at the Gun Club of Pakistan Sports Complex.

Talking to Dawn on Saturday, Manoj Kumar, 31, an Indian marksman, said: “Security is not a big issue and we feel no big difference in playing here and back home.”

The Indian junior hockey squad had recently refused to travel to Pakistan expressing security concerns. The refusal has brought dark clouds over Indian cricket team’s tour to Pakistan which is scheduled to tour the country in January next year.

The ultimate target, he said, for any shooter was to clinch a medal in any major international event.

A female shooter, Hina, 19, commenting about the prospects of shooting in her country, said: “In India more than 1,200 shooters turn up every year for national level shooting competition and the game is getting popular day by day.”

About the ongoing championship, Hina informed: “If the competition was being held in India many people would turn up to watch the event but it’s not the same in Pakistan.”

She added that female shooters from Pakistan are less in number which is not an encouraging sign for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra, she said, was playing to win a medal in the championship.

Abhinav was the gold medallist in the 10m Air Rifle shooting event at the Beijing Olympic Games this year and was the first Indian to win an individual gold.

“I think Islamabad is cleaner than Delhi,” Hina said when asked to comment about the difference between the two capital cities.

Aman Preet Singh, 20, said Abhinav’s gold medal gave new life to the sport in India as more people were getting interested in the game.

“After Abhinav’s win, participation in various national shooting championships has increased massively which is an encouraging sign for the game in our country,” said Preet Singh.