Pak shooters get visas for World Cup in New Delhi

New Delhi/Karachi, Feb 18

Pakistan’s shooters were today granted visas to participate in the World Cup in New Delhi, a top Indian shooting official said, ending speculation about their presence in the event in the wake of the Pulwama terrorist attack.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) event, which will offer 16 quota places for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, starts at the Dr Karni Singh Range on Thursday. “Their visa has been cleared and we have received communication from the Indian High Commission and the Pakistan shooting federation. The two shooters and the manager’s tickets are also being booked,” National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajiv Bhatia said.

The terrorist attack had cast a doubt over Pakistan shooters’ participation in the World Cup, with the country’s federation earlier saying in Karachi that it would not send its marksmen if the visas didn’t come through by Monday evening.

The Indian government had given clearance for the applications, but that was before last Thursday’s attack.

Pakistan applied for visas for two shooters in the rapid fire category — GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed. The president of Pakistan’s shooting federation, Razi Ahmed, had earlier said that the secretary of NRAI had assured him that visas would be granted since the Indian Home Ministry had given its clearance. He added that air tickets had been booked and No Objection Certificates obtained for taking the ammunition to New Delhi for use in the championship. — PTI