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`India still welcome for SAF Games'

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD MARCH 5. Pakistan today maintained that the Indian contingent was still welcome to participate in the ninth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games scheduled here from March 29 to April 10. At a press conference here, the chief of the SAF organising committee, Syed Arif Hasan, described the Indian decision to stay away as `unfortunate'. He quoted the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, as having told the committee that "politics should not be mixed with sports."

Lt. Gen. Hasan said there was no written communication either from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or the Indian Government about the status of the Indian contingent vis-a-vis the games. "We have only been told verbally on telephone that the Indian contingent faced certain problems in taking part in the games''.

A high-level meeting headed by Gen. Musharraf on Tuesday evening here decided to go ahead with the games despite the Indian decision. The organising committee made a detailed presentation to Gen. Musharraf on the preparations. The decision is significant in the context of the uncertainty over the Iraq crisis.

For Pakistan, the SAF games have been jinxed. Originally scheduled in 2001, they have been already been postponed twice: once on account of the Afghan war launched by the United States-led coalition and the second time on account of Indo-Pak. tensions.

The organisers are keeping their fingers crossed this time as the Bush administration drums up support for war against Iraq. There is no way the games could go on if war was to break out in the Gulf.

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