ISLAMABAD: India’s border control authority on Wednesday barred the country’s baseball team from entering Lahore via the Wagah border to participate in the West Asia Baseball Cup being hosted by Pakistan, the Pakistan Federation Baseball said, with the originally planned seven-team event now to be played between six teams only.

The 15th edition of the West Asia Baseball Cup has been organized by the Pakistan Federation Baseball in collaboration with Dubai-based Baseball United, the first-ever professional baseball league created to serve South Asia and the Middle East. The event is scheduled to be held at Islamabad’s Pakistan Sports Complex from January 27 through February 1.

“The tournament was originally planned to have seven teams, but the Indian squad could not get border clearance from their government after getting visas to Pakistan,” Syed Fakhar Ali Shah, president of the Pakistan Federation Baseball, confirmed while speaking to Arab News. “As of now, only six teams will play because of India’s situation.”

Pakistani media widely reported that the Indian team was not allowed by Indian immigration officials to leave for Pakistan when they arrived at the Wagah border crossing. 

Earlier this week, Shah told sports website Geo Super that Pakistan had granted no objection certificates (NOCs) to the Indian team to participate in the event.

“NOC letters have been received from the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination,” he said. “They have also been sent to India Baseball Federation Secretary Harish Kumar.”

New Delhi has not yet commented on its team missing the tournament in Pakistan.

The two arch-rival nuclear powers have fought three wars since independence from British rule in 1947. Two of the wars were over Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region, which both the nations claim. Each controls half of the region.

The two neighbors came close to war again in 2019, when India launched an air strike inside Pakistan to target what New Delhi said was a militant training facility. Tensions were again inflamed when India unilaterally revoked the autonomous status of its part of Kashmir later in 2019.

Official talks between the two countries have been suspended since then, although there have been some backdoor diplomacy attempts to resume negotiations — one brokered by the UAE in 2021.

With India out of the baseball tournament, it will not be played between Pakistan, Palestine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The baseball team from Nepal entered Pakistan through the Wagah border after getting clearance and the Palestinian team also arrived on Wednesday.