NEW DELHI: India’s national hockey team announced Friday that it was calling off a series against arch rivals Pakistan planned for next month amid growing tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Narinder Batra, the secretary general of Hockey India, said that the decision had been made at the instigation of the government less than three weeks before the start of the five-match home series.
“The foreign ministry did not give permission (for the series),” he said.
Pakistan, which had been due to host a return series straight afterwards, deplored India’s decision, saying sports events were in the wider interest of both countries.
“Pakistan believes that in the larger interest of maintaining peace between Pakistan and India, sustained and uninterrupted implementation of confidence building process including sports events is required,” its foreign ministry said.
Asif Bajwa, secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, threatened that Pakistan could pull out of the junior world cup to be staged across the border in December this year.
The cup is being held under the auspices of the International Hockey Federation, which could take action against Pakistan for not participating.
“We condemn India’s policy of mixing politics with sport and if they continue to do so it will be a big loss for hockey fans and for hockey in Asia,” Bajwa told reporters.
“We will not play the hockey series on a neutral venue and now, if they agree to play a hockey series in the future, then India will have to tour us first,” the former Olympian added.
India and Pakistan had been due to play five matches from April 5-15 but the sport has now become the latest victim of tensions between the two countries, particularly over the disputed region of Kashmir.
India scraps Pakistan hockey series against Pakistan
