Pakistan Hockey Federation withdraws team from India Junior World Cup over security concerns

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has decided not to send the national junior hockey team to the Junior World Cup scheduled to be held in India from November 28 to December 10.

According to reliable sources, the decision was made during a high-level meeting in Islamabad, where security concerns and India’s negative attitude towards Pakistan in sports — particularly during the recent Asia Cup — were discussed.

Sources added that the PHF will soon officially inform Hockey India of its decision. The federation and the government emphasized that there would be no compromise on players’ security, which led to the decision to withdraw from the tournament.

Meanwhile, the issue of PHF elections came under discussion during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, chaired by MNA Sheikh Aftab Ahmed.

It is noteworthy that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided neutral venues for Pakistan-India matches, while the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has yet to introduce such a hybrid arrangement. Pakistan had also skipped the Asia Cup held in India last month, even though it served as a qualifier for next year’s World Cup.