Lahore: The Pakistan Amateur Kabbadi Federation has demanded an inquiry into the sending of an allegedly unauthorised team to play matches against India without the sanction of the legal Kabbadi bodies of both the countries.
Muhammad Sarwar, the secretary of the PAKF, told PTI that he had also written to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad regarding a visit by an unauthorised team from Lahore to Himachal Pradesh to play Kabbadi matches.
“We want the government to take notice of this illegal activities by some individuals and blacklist them so that they can’t apply for visas to any foreign embassy again by posing as representative teams of Pakistan,” Sarwar said.
The PAKF has reacted after reports emerged in the media that a Pakistan Kabbadi team had applied for visas to visit Himachal Pradesh to play a series of circle style Kabbadi matches in Hamirpur and other parts of India.
“We have neither authorised nor scheduled any such visit to India,” Sarwar added.
He showed a letter sent by the Amateur Kabbadi Federation of India to the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad in which they had categorically termed the floated series as unauthorised and illegal.
“Our Kabbadi players are presently busy training for the Asian Games in China,” he said.
Pakistan and India Kabbadi matches on either side of the border draw huge crowds and evoke great interest among the people even though the media coverage given to these matches is minimal.
“Kabbadi is a traditional sport in both countries specially in rural areas and the media should give us more support and coverage,” Sarwar said.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 19:46