India Visa Holdup Causes Disruption in Pakistan’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Preparations

The Pakistan Cricket Board has had to cancel a planned team bonding session in Dubai because they are still waiting for Indian visas, and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India is just 10 days away.

The team and its officials were supposed to travel to the United Arab Emirates last week for a two-day bonding session in Dubai before heading to India for their first match against the Netherlands on October 6.

Unfortunately, the delay in getting visas for the team has thrown their plans into chaos, highlighting the longstanding tensions between the two countries once more.

“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.”

Cross-border tension

Both countries have been long-standing rivals ever since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. They have engaged in three wars and have strict restrictions on the movement of their citizens across the border.

Direct flights between India and Pakistan have been halted for over four years due to strained relations, stemming from New Delhi’s controversial decision to revoke the special status of Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan’s cricket team last visited India in 2016 for the T20 Cricket World Cup, while India has not sent its cricket team to Pakistan since 2006. The last series between the two teams occurred in 2012.

The Foreigners Division of India’s Ministry of Home Affairs, responsible for issuing visas to foreign travelers, has not responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Pakistan is set to play their first of two warm-up matches on September 29 in Hyderabad before the tournament officially begins in Ahmedabad on October 5.

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