The 16-member team of Pakistan waves after crossing over to India to take part in 3rd kabaddi world cup at Attari Border, Amritsar, on Monday. Munish Byala/HT
Since the
Indian embassy in Islamabad had objected to the visa of secretary of the association, as he was a serving Navy officer in Pakistan, the team arrived without the secretary.
Immediately after their arrival, the squad headed for Hoshiarpur where they will play their first match on Monday.
Talking to mediapersons at the Attari border, Tahir Wahid, coach of the Pakistani team, said, "There was delay in team's arrival because visas were issued late. A total of 27 people had applied for visa, of which only 16 got it. We also got the visa this morning only."
"This should not happen. Sportspersons must be given visas immediately at the border gate itself," he added.
Captain of the team, Musharraf Jawed, said, "Team is in good shape and we are very confident that we will win this Kabaddi World Cup. The team has prepared hard and are hopeful of having tough matches."
He lauded the effort of the Punjab government in hosting the event, which, he said, would lift the standard of the game and popularise it.