KARACHI - Tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi on Monday announced that he will boycott the upcoming Davis Cup tie against India as his protest against the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) decision to deprive Pakistan of the tie’s hosting right.
On Nov 5, the ITF had moved the Davis Cup tie against India from Pakistan to a neutral venue citing security issues after Indian players refused to tour Pakistan.
Terming the decision “deplorable”, Aisam said that he was “saddened to learn that the ITF, under the Indian influence, continues to take away Pakistan’s right of holding Davis Cup tie against India at our home venue”.
“The attitude of both the All Indian Tennis Association (AITA) and ITF towards Pakistan is highly deplorable, to say it the least,” Aisam said in a letter addressed to Salim Saifullah, the president of Pakistan Tennis Federation.
“There is absolutely no threat foreseen for the Indian tennis team in Pakistan. As you very well know that hundreds of Indians are regularly visiting Pakistan to perform their religious activities in various places like Kartarpur, Nankana Sahib and Taxila.
There has not been a single incident of violence or mishandling with any Indian national ever in Pakistan and for sure not at all in recent years.