Pakistani squash players feel safe in India, say they don't feel threatened at all

Squash is setting an example for Cricket

In the wake of protests against Indo-Pak bilateral cricket series from the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, there are some other sports who are displaying a brilliant example in front of the others.

Squash is one such sport where the political conditions of the two countries are not being taken into consideration. Two players from Pakistan, Sadia Gul and Sammer Anjum were in Chennai to take part in the JSW Indian Squash Circuit. They were happy with the treatment they received.

Talking to The Express, they said, “We did not have any problems with our visas this year. While last year we were asked to do a number of things (get letters of approval from the Pakistan Squash Federation, meet with Crime Investigation Department), this year it has been smooth”.

They travelled back to Pakistan on Tuesday, but plan to be back in the country for South Asian Games. “Our upcoming tournaments are the Qatar Classic and after that there is the South Asian Games (SAF Games) which will be held in India (Guwahati and Shillong). So if all goes well, we should play in that”, they said.

Pakistan Olympic Association’s vice president Shaukat Javed also agreed to his player’s views. “Sports shouldn’t mix with politics, And I do expect that we will participate in the upcoming SAF Games.”

The players are not aware of Shiv Sena's threat, but they never felt unsafe in the country. They also want Indian players to feel free and safe while travelling to Pakistan.

They went on to say, “It takes a lot of time to convince our parents and friends before we can come here. But it really isn’t like that. We have not faced any problems thus far. We don’t feel threatened at all to be here. We heard that a few Indian players rejected the idea of travelling across but again... it’s safe.”

Gul’s family members have never been to India, but Anjum’s family has some official relationships with the country. She told, “Actually, my grandfather deals with the export and import of vegetables and dry fruits across the border”.

Hopefully, such examples can make people understand the fact that sports should not be intermingled with politics.