ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: Pakistan has decided to pull out of two important international sports events scheduled to be held in India in the coming months, a top Sports Ministry official confirmed on Tuesday.

Pakistan was scheduled to defend its Asian Junior title in a squash tournament organized by the Asian Squash Federation, slated to be held in the Indian city of Chennai from Jan 16.

Talking to Dawn, Federal Sports Secretary Ashraf Khan said: “Allowing our squash and hockey players to leave for India will be too risky at the moment as the gravity of the situation does not allow us to send our sports teams there.”

Pakistan and India are locked in a tense diplomatic battle after the ‘Mumbai mayhem’ which left 164 people dead in the financial hub of the Indian city. Indian Sports Ministry has already cancelled a scheduled cricket tour of its cricket team to Pakistan due to the ongoing tensions with its arch-rival after the Mumbai issue.

“It’s more about the security of the players than defending a title,” he said when asked whether the Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has requested for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for proceeding to India in January to defend its title.

Pakistan defeated Malaysia in the last Asian Junior Squash Championship, winning both individual and team events held in Hong Kong in 2007.

Four junior squash players and two officials, a coach and a manager, were on the list of the PSF to be sent for participation in junior squash championship to India.

The situation, Ashraf said, was too volatile right now and for the Sports Ministry it was simply impossible to give the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and PSF a go-ahead signal to tour India.

“However, we will take a final consent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the said issue,” added Ashraf.

The PHF has confirmed its participation in the four-nation hockey series, to be played in Chandigarh and Jalandhar next February. World and Olympic champions Germany, Holland and hosts India are the other teams featuring in the event.

When a PHF official was contacted to comment on the issue he remarked: “We will simply follow the instructions of the government.”

Secretary PSF Wing Commander Shamsul Haq, when asked to give his statement on the decision of Ministry of Sports regarding their NOC request, said: “We are awaiting an NOC from the Federal Sports Ministry and if they say no we will cancel our tour and abide by the government instructions.”