Six teams that have qualified for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup have approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) for assistance in securing visas for players holding Pakistani passports. This request comes as the teams aim to ensure their squad members can participate in matches in India, according to reports.
The teams involved are the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Canada, Italy, the USA, and the Netherlands. They have included players with Pakistani passports and are concerned about potential delays in visa issuance. The UAE, which has several players of Pakistani origin, has taken the initiative by reaching out to the ICC for help, as reported by Telecom Asia Sport.
Sources indicate that players from these nations were born in Pakistan but currently hold the nationality of their respective countries. Despite this, they face challenges in obtaining an Indian visa. According to rules set by the Indian External Ministry, anyone born in Pakistan, or with parents or grandparents from Pakistan, must apply for a visa on a Pakistani passport, even if they hold citizenship of another country.
While players from the UAE and Oman have already submitted their visa applications, there are concerns that they may not receive permission to travel to India unless the ICC intervenes. The UAE squad includes Mohammad Waseem, Jawad Ullah, Mohammad Rohid, Khuzaima Tanveer, Haider Ali, Asif Khan, and Junaid Siddiqui, all of whom are facing visa issues due to their Pakistani origin.
Oman’s squad also features multiple players of Pakistan origin, including Fayyaz Butt, Hammad Mirza, Shah Faisal, Mohammad Nadeem, and Sufyan Mahmood.
Historically, players of Pakistani origin have faced difficulties in obtaining Indian visas. For instance, in 2024, England off-spinner Shoaib Basheer encountered visa delays due to his father’s roots in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). Similarly, spinner Rehan Ahmed experienced similar challenges last year. The report also highlights that Australia’s Pakistan-born cricketer Usman Khawaja experienced visa delays during the Test tour to India in 2023.
The Netherlands’ brothers, Sikander and Saqib Zulfiqar, faced delays in obtaining their visas when touring India with the Dutch team in 2019. Although they were born in the Netherlands and do not hold dual nationality, their Pakistani heritage complicated the visa process, preventing them from traveling to India.
Notably, only a dozen Pakistani fans were granted Indian visas for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The already tense relations between Pakistan and India intensified in May last year following a military conflict sparked by a terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir. This led to India conducting airstrikes to dismantle terror infrastructure across the border.
India declined to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, opting instead to play all its matches in the UAE as a neutral venue. Consequently, Pakistan has not sent its women’s team to India for the 50-over World Cup matches, and the Asia Cup was relocated from India to the UAE due to Pakistan’s refusal to tour India.
In the upcoming T20 World Cup, Pakistan will play its matches in Colombo, which has also been designated as a standby venue for a semifinal and final should the Pakistan team advance to that stage.