PCB expecting a smooth visa process for the upcoming Indo-Pak series - Cricket News Update
Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zaka http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ashraf-c46397, met with the visiting Indian foreign minister SM Krishna in Islamabad on Friday and urged the Indian minister to ensure Pakistani fans would get visas for the first Pak-India cricket series in five years.
Zaka thanked the minister for his government’s role in the resumption of the cricketing ties between the two traditional rivals, while also acknowledging the efforts by the leaders of both countries, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Manmohan-Singh-c74213 in this regard.
"Ashraf requested Krishna for the support of the Indian government to facilitate in the issuance of Indian visas for the Pakistani fans wanting to watch the Pakistan-India series this year," a PCB press release said.
The Indian External Minister has assured his full support and has directed the Indian High Commissioner to extend maximum cooperation. A meeting is expected to be held later this month between PCB and the officials from the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to ensure a smooth visa process for the travelling Pakistani fans.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 has invited the Green Shirts to play a five-match series by the end of this year, which will include three ODIs and twoT20Is matches.
All sporting ties between the two nations were snapped following the terrorist attacks in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820, which left nearly 200 people dead, after which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to tour Pakistan or play in India and elsewhere.
However, the relations began to thaw after the then Pakistani Prime Minister was invited to the 2011 World Cup semi-final in Chandigarh, played between the two nations.
Early this year, BCCI had invited PCB Chairman to the IPL final and later gave the green light for the inclusion of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
Zaka believes that Pakistani fans have been starved from all international cricket at home (following the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 team bus attack) and a smooth visa process would be keenly cherished.
"A cricket series between Pakistan and India is very important for the fans on both sides of the border. So it is extremely important that they are facilitated any way possible by the governments and the cricket boards of both the countries," Ashraf concluded.
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