Pak shooters granted visa for New Delhi World Cup

Surjit kumar Dhal, New Delhi, Feb 18: Pakistan’s shooters have been granted visas to participate in the New Delhi World Cup, ending speculation about their presence in the event in the wake of the Pulwama terrorist attack.

The ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) event, which will offer 16 quota places for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will begin at the Dr Karni Singh Range on Thursday.

Their visa has been cleared and we have received communication from the Indian High Commission and the Pakistan shooting federation, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) officials confirmed adding, the two shooters and the manager’s tickets are also being booked.

The Indian government had given clearance for the applications, but that was before last Thursday’s dastardly attack.

Pakistan applied for visas for two shooters in the rapid fire category — GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed — for the World Cup.