ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s sports minister wants the men’s field hockey team should compete at the World Cup in India despite Pakistan’s cricketers being snubbed by the Indian Premier League.
In a surprise move, the eight IPL franchises did not bid for any of the 11 Pakistan cricketers in Tuesday’s auction.
The country won the Twenty20 World Cup last year.
“The only way to answer India is to go and compete in hockey World Cup and win it,” Pakistan Sports Minister Ijaz Jhakrani said Thursday. “Sports should not be mixed with politics.”
However, Jhakrani also appealed to Pakistan’s cable television stations to not show any IPL matches.
“It would be another solid response to India,” he said.
A Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesman said his organization would follow government direction over the World Cup, which will run from Feb. 28 to March 13 in New Delhi.
“So far, we have not received any directives from the government to boycott the event, so our team is scheduled to compete in the World Cup,” Shahazad Malik said.
Jamshed Dasti, chairman of the lower house’s standing committee on sports, has summoned Pakistan Cricket Board officials on Feb. 3 to explain why the IPL organizers ignored Pakistan cricketers.
“I feel that as a nation we were humiliated and it needs an explanation from the cricket board officials,” Dasti said.
In protest at the IPL rejection, the speaker of the Pakistan government’s lower house stopped a parliamentary delegation’s visit to India.
Boycott call
Meanwhile, Former Pakistan sports captains demanded on Thursday a boycott of the hockey World Cup.
“Pakistani cricketers were treated badly by India, so to keep our national pride we must not send our hockey team to the World Cup,” said former Pakistan hockey captain and coach Islahuddin Siddiqui.
Archrivals India and Pakistan will face off on the opening day of the 12-nation tournament.
Former cricket captain Zaheer Abbas also called for a boycott. “We should adopt a clear policy on sports with India and if they have not allowed our players in the IPL then we must not send our hockey team to the World Cup,” Abbas told a private television channel.
India stalled bilateral cricket with Pakistan after blaming attacks in November 2008 on its commercial hub Mumbai on a Pakistan-based militant group.
But they still contest other sports.
An Indian boxing team participated in an international event in Karachi earlier this month, while Pakistan has sent its snooker, tennis, wrestling and badminton teams to India in the last two years.
Pakistan also Thursday canceled a tour of India by its Kabaddi team. Pakistan was due to play in five matches across India starting later this month.
“We have decided to cancel our tour to India in protest over our cricketers being insulted in the Indian Premier League auction,” Rana Mohammad Sarwar, secretary of the Pakistan Kabaddi Federation, said.
