Snooker: Indian players issued NOC for Pakistan visit

Neighbours to arrive for first bilateral series in 8 years.

KARACHI: Four Indian players will visit Pakistan after eight years for the Indo-Pak Snooker Series 2012 that will begin from March 7 in Karachi, as Interior Minister Rehman Malik confirmed the No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) event.

The Indian squad will consist of Kamal Chawla, Brijesh Damani, Lucky Vatnani and Rafath Habib.

According to the tournament director Naveed Kapadia, the PBSA will announce the Pakistan squad tomorrow.

Meanwhile, PBSA president Alamgir Shaikh said the association was grateful to Malik for issuing the NOC for the Indian players as the series will not only promote bilateral relations between the two countries but also help the Pakistani players gain experience in the home country.

“We have been looking forward to the series,” Kapadia told The Express Tribune. “With Mohammad Asif’s victory at the IBSF World Championship in December last year, this will be another positive activity in snooker. The arrival of the Indian players will be contribute significantly towards building the image of Pakistan.”

The Indian players will reach Karachi on March 6.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2013.