KARACHI The Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) has pulled out of the Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship schedule to be held in Pune, India from April 18 to 24.

`Considering the scenario and directives of the sports ministry, we have decided not to send the team to Pune,` PBSA President Alamgir Anwar Shaikh told APP on Saturday.

PBSA decided to revive the Asian Under-21 after a lapse of over a decade to be held here at Karachi Club from February 22 to 26 with view to send the boys for international competition.

`We decided to revive the national junior event here in Pakistan to groom and expose them internationally. But the current Indo-Pak situation is not conducive to send the youngsters to India,` he said.

However he said if any major development took place and government permitted us, PBSA may reconsider its decision.

He informed that the upcoming National Snooker Championship will be held here from March 15 to 21.

He said process for the qualifiers for the nationals is nearing completion with the holding of NWFP, Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan Cups.

Alamgir Shaikh said as per the PBSA tradition, the winner and runner-up of the national event will earn the right to represent Pakistan in Silver Jubilee Asian Snooker Championship to be held in China in May. He said the venue for the event was yet to be decided by host country.

He said snooker will be returning to normalcy with the participation of all the top cueists from across the country.

PBSA President thanked Federal Sports Minister Aftab Hussain Shah Jilani for his support in revival of snooker in the country.