The visa clearance came less than 48 hours before Pakistan’s scheduled travel to India in the wee hours of September 27. They play their first warm-up game against New Zealand in Hyderabad on September 29.
“Visas have been issued to Pakistan,” an ICC spokesperson told PTI.
However, confusion remained in the Pakistan camp over the grant of visa.
“We have not got the call from Indian High Commission yet over visa clearance. Member of our team is stationed there,” PCB spokesperon Umar Farooq told PTI.
The confirmation from the ICC came after the PCB wrote to ICC CEO Geoff Allardice on Monday over the visa delay besides claiming the anxious wait has adversely impacted the team’s preparation for the 50-over showpiece.
Pakistan were supposed to have a two-day team bonding session in Dubai before their scheduled arrival in Hyderabad on September 27 but was cancelled due to the uncertainty over Indian visa.
The Babar Azam-led side plays two warm-up games and as many World Cup matches in Hyderabad starting with the practice fixture against New Zealand.
In the letter addressed to Allardice, the PCB also claimed that its concerns over visa being granted to players, team officials, fans and journalists for the World Cup in India have not been addressed for more than three years. It also added that such inequitable treatment to Pakistan will not be acceptable.
Reiterating those concerns, Farooq added: “There has been an extraordinary delays in getting clearance and securing Indian visas for the Pakistan team for ICC World Cup.
“We have written to ICC raising our concerns about inequitable treatment towards Pakistan and reminding them of these obligations towards the World Cup. It’s a matter of disappointment that the Pakistan team has to go through the uncertainty ahead of the major tournament.
“We have been reminding about their obligations from last three years and it has all come down to last two days with our first warm game scheduled on September 29. We were forced to cancel our original plan to organise team-building exercise in Dubai on the way to India. We have had to rework our plan and book new flights, but these plans are subject issuance of visas,” he said.
Pakistan last visited India for the T20 World Cup in 2016. The arch-rivals only play each other in the Asia Cup and ICC tournaments due to the tense relations between the two countries.
PCB sources informed that flight tickets of around 35 members have been re-booked now that the Dubai trip is off. The team will now leave for Hyderabad from Lahore in the wee hours of September 27 and reach Hyderabad via Dubai in the night.
“The warm-up game is less than four days away and players are in a state of uncertainty. If the players are having to experience delays, one can only wonder what will happen to visa applications of fans and journalists,” a source said.
Visa applications from Pakistan require clearances from three ministries—home, external affairs and sports.
Pakistan’s second warm-up game will be against Australia on October 3, also in Hyderabad.
They will remain in the city for their opening two World Cup games against Netherlands and Sri Lanka on October 6 and 10 respectively before flying to Ahmedabad for the big game against hosts India on October 14.
Only two members from the current Pakistan squad have toured India for cricket—Mohammad Nawaz and Salman Agha.
Earlier, Pakistan cricket team’s preparations for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India have been disrupted due to a visa delay that has delayed the side’s departure for the event that gets under way in 10 days.
The squad and officials were scheduled to leave for the United Arab Emirates last week for a two-day team bonding session in Dubai before proceeding to India where they take on the Netherlands in their first match on October 6.
However, a delay in receiving visas for the contingent has left the team’s plans in disarray, with decades-old thorny ties between the two countries coming to the fore once again.
“We had planned to spend two days in Dubai [September 25 and 26] before flying to Hyderabad [India] ahead of the team’s pre-tournament warm-up matches,” a spokesperson of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told Al Jazeera.
“However, we had to cancel the team bonding session due to a delay in receiving our visas from India.”
The team is now scheduled to leave for the southern Indian city of Hyderabad on September 27 provided the visas are received in time.
“We will fly to Hyderabad via Dubai in the early hours of Wednesday, but this is [again] subject to the arrival of visas.”
Both countries have been bitter rivals since their independence from British rule in 1947. They have fought three wars since and have stern restrictions on cross-border movements of their citizens.
Direct flights between India and Pakistan have been suspended for more than four years following a souring of ties over New Delhi’s controversial move to revoke the special status of Indian-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan’s cricket team last travelled to India in 2016 to participate in the T20 Cricket World Cup, while India has not sent its cricket team to Pakistan since 2006.
The last bilateral series between the two teams took place in 2012.
The Foreigners Division of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, which is responsible for issuing visas for foreign travellers, has not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for a comment.
Pakistan are scheduled to play the first of their two pre-tournament warm-up matches in Hyderabad on September 29.The tournament gets under way in Ahmedabad on Octobe
