Pakistan’s Participation in India-Hosted Asian Champions Trophy Subject to Govt Approval
Pakistan’s participation in next month’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in India will depend on government clearance, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) President Mohyuddin Ahmed Wani has said.
Wani, who also serves as federal secretary of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, said the federation would follow the government’s decision regarding the national team’s proposed visit.
“The visit of the Pakistan team will depend on government clearance. We will do whatever the government asks us to do,” he said.
His remarks came after Indian Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said Pakistan would be among the six teams participating in the tournament, scheduled to be held from October 27 to November 5.
Wani, however, said Mann’s statement had no bearing on the PHF’s position.
According to Press Trust of India (PTI), Mann said there was no issue with Pakistan participating in multinational tournaments, although bilateral sporting contests between the two countries may not be possible.
The Asian Champions Trophy is set to feature India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea. League matches will be played in Jalandhar, while Mohali will host the semifinals and final.
India’s sports policy bars bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan amid tensions between the two countries. However, its Sports Ministry allows the two sides to compete in multilateral tournaments in line with the Olympic Charter.
Pakistan withdrew from last year’s Junior World Cup in Tamil Nadu, citing heightened tensions between the two countries in May.
Mann said the proposed Pakistan-India match on November 1 in Jalandhar would be one of the tournament’s major attractions and would coincide with Punjab Day.
“India and Pakistan may have their rivalries on the hockey field, but sport has its own language,” he said.
Hockey India Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, who was also present at the event, described relations between the hockey federations of both countries as “excellent.”
The tournament is being organized under the Asian Hockey Federation.
India are the defending champions, having won the 2023 edition in Chennai, where Pakistan also participated, and the 2024 tournament in Hulunbuir, China. The event was not held last year.
The tournament will begin in Jalandhar on October 27, with the final scheduled for November 5 in Mohali.
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