After Champions Trophy debacle, Pakistan hockey faces visa problem for traveling to India

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been asked to seek permission from the government before confirming its participation in the FIH Junior World Cup scheduled to be held in India late next year. PHF Secretary General Rana Mujahid said the team would need a no-objection certificate from the federal government for the national team to travel for the FIH event to be held in December 2025 “Normally, our government has always allowed us to play major events in India in recent years, despite the strained relations between the two countries. But now we have been informed that permission must first be obtained before finalizing. the team and confirm his participation,” he told the media.

Pakistan’s junior team was unable to participate in the Junior World Cup held in Lucknow in December 2016 after the players were not issued visas due to late submission of applications.

Pakistan qualified for the event after finishing second in the Asia Cup held recently in Oman. The Green Shirts lost the continental final to India 3-5.

“The Junior World Cup is important for us because we intend to build a strong senior team capable of qualifying for the next World Cup and the next Olympics, something we have not done in the last two editions of the Summer Games,” Mujahid said.

According to the PHF secretary, the national senior hockey championship would be held in Karachi from December 27 to January 8.

He also spoke about the PHF’s financial difficulties, but said the situation had improved and the federation had recently settled unpaid daily allowances and other dues of players and officials of the senior and junior teams.

“The government is supporting us and we hope that the Sindh government will also release our annual grant soon.”

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