By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The South Asian Federation (SAF) Junior Table Tennis Championships which kicked off here on Sunday could play an important role in improving ties between India and Pakistan, said Khaled Mehmood, manager of the Pakistani contingent.
For the first time after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, a Pakistani contingent is taking part in a sporting event in India and the visit assumes significance since India had snapped all sporting ties with Pakistan after the attack.
“This kind of sporting event should be held on a regular basis in order to improve bilateral relations between the two nations,” said Mehmood while speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the event.
While stating that it is a unique experience to be a part of the event Mehmood said, “The officials here are very cooperative and I am happy to see all the players having a mutual understanding towards each other.”
“I hope our team plays the final against India,” he added.
The Pakistani team manager however expressed disappointment over the delay in getting visa which according to him could affect the team’s performance in the championship.
“We missed 2 -3 practice sessions because of the delay,” the manager added.
“We wanted to reach Shillong three ahead of the event to provide the players more time to prepare themselves for the championship. But due to the delay in issuing of the visa by the Indian authorities, we could arrive only on Saturday night,” Mehmood said.
Meanwhile, players of the team, Salman Vaik and Pakistan National Junior Champion Tabish Khurshid, were also happy to participate in the event while hoping that this platform would encourage peace and brotherhood between both the countries.