Pakistan on Sunday called off the South Asian Federation Games due to take place here next month as a result of the current crisis over possible US military action against neighboring Afghanistan.
"We announce with regret that due to recent happenings, the SAF Games are postponed for the time being," said S.K. Tressler, minister for sports, tourism and cultural affairs.
The decision to postpone the regional games, which had been due to take place October 6-15, had been widely expected as a result of the US military build-up for a possible attack on Afghanistan.
Major General Syed Arif Hussain, the head of the organizing committee, said technical delegates from the other countries had been unable to make it to Islamabad following advice from their governments not to travel to Pakistan.
"In order to avoid being left in the lurch, we decided to postpone the holding of the games," he said.
India in particular had made it clear that it was apprehensive about sending its athletes to Islamabad in light of possible unrest in Pakistan, where Islamic radicals have vowed to join an Afghan jihad, or holy war, against any attack by the United States.
Pakistan officials had been insisting up until last week that the Games would go ahead. But with the US rapidly moving planes and ships to within striking distance of Afghanistan, a decision to call off the Games became inevitable.
The Games involve the seven member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Formed in 1985 to promote regional cooperation, SAARC groups Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Men were to have competed in 15 sports, women in seven.
There had been hopes in particular that the Games would have served to get sporting contacts between arch-rivals India and Pakistan back on track.
India had been due to play Pakistan in a cricket Test match this month but the New Delhi government ordered the squad to pull out in August, in a move that was part protest over Islamabad's alleged support for Muslim militants in Kashmir and partly a reflection of concerns for the security of the players.
Contacts in other sports have been maintained but none of them enjoy the popularity or fervent support that cricket does in both countries.
India have not played a Test match in Pakistan since a 1989-90 tour that was marred by an attack on the Indian captain, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, during the Karachi Test.
Despite the pullout from the cricket Test, which was to be part of the Asian championships, India had said at the end of August it would definitely take part in the SAF Games -- ISLAMABAD (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
