:rotfl:
Pakistan minister denied Indian visa
A senior Pakistani minister has been denied a visa to visit India for the second one-day international between the hosts and Pakistan. The news comes after 46 Pakistani journalists, awarded media accreditation for the five-ODI and three-Test tour, were unable to cover the first match as they were yet to be issued visas by the Indian High Commission (IHC).
Railways minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed intended to watch Thursday’s second match at Mohali, but was informed by the IHC in Islamabad that he could not be issued the required visa. “I was planning to travel on Wednesday but they left me disappointed,” he told AP. "They didn’t give any reason for not granting me the visa.
“This time I had got invitation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and even then they did not give me the visa at the eleventh hour.”
According to the minister, official permission was sought from the Pakistan government for the required travel and as a result, a protest has been lodged and the Pakistan prime minister informed. No official from the IHC was available for comment.
While visas were famously relaxed and citizen-to-citizen contact was actively encouraged during the last three series between the two countries, a similar trait has yet to be seen this time around. This surprised the minister, who firmly believed that “there should be people-to-people contact between the two countries.”
SOURCE: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvpak/content/story/318650.html
Pakistan journalists miss first one-dayer
A delay in the issuing of Indian visit visas meant Pakistan journalists had to miss the first one-dayer against India in Guwahati on Monday. Forty-six journalists have been given media accreditation for the ongoing one-day series but none of them has been issued visas by the Indian High Commission (IHC) in Islamabad.
The journalists applied for the visas through the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) but haven’t got their passports back from the IHC. A PCB official said the IHC officials have informed them that the visas would be issued on Tuesday, which could enable them to watch the second ODI, at Mohali on Thursday.
“So far no Pakistan media personnel have come to collect their accreditation from me,” the official said. “Thirty-two journalists from the print media, nine from the electronic arm, three cameramen and two photographers have been accredited by the Indian board (BCCI) as of now.”
A BCCI official said that more journalists could be coming for the Test series, which starts from November 22 following the five-match ODI series which ends on November 18 in Jaipur.
SOURCE: http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/indvpak/content/story/318594.html