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Pakistan Journalists Get Visa Clearance Before IND vs PAK Face-Off 

image-lnlnuvapPakistan team [Twitter]

After days of frustration and pain, Pakistani journalists were finally provided visa clearance to tour India for the ICC World Cup 2023 media duties. 

Media personnel from across the neighbourhood will be able to arrive on Indian shores and cover the fixtures for the marquee tournament, starting with the mother of all rivalries - the India-Pakistan league stage encounter on Saturday (October 14) in Ahmedabad. 

In a welcome news for cricket lovers and journalists based in Pakistan, they will have their media representatives present for the high-voltage clash against India after all 60 journalists, who had applied for Indian visas, were given a go-ahead signal by the Indian government's travelling authorities. 

All media personnel enroute to India were given their visa clearance in Karachi on Wednesday (October 11) and will be arriving in Ahmedabad to cover the sold-out fixture with 1.2 lakh capacity on the match day itself. They have been allowed to cover the match against the tournament hosts and the remainder of Pakistan's campaign at the biggest event in world cricket. 


Pakistan Journalists Given Visas For India World Cup 

The respite for the Pakistani journalists came amidst controversial delay in their visa clearance even after applying for the India arrival well in advance. The matter had escalated after Babar Azam & company played the Hyderabad leg of their campaign without any of their home journalist present at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. 

Neither for the opening encounter against the Netherlands nor the face-off versus the Sri Lankans were the Pakistani journalists present at the ground. Fears were brewing in certain corners if the anti-Pakistan sentiments would dictate the course of decision-making even as the matter reached the ICC level. 

However, timely discussions held in the last few days between the ICC and BCCI officials alongside the Indian government authorities finally paid the dividends and paved the way for cricketing sentiment to ultimately prevail. 

Journalists from Pakistan can now provide coverage to fans based in their homeland for the sport's biggest carnival spanning October 8 to November 19. Following the India game, Pakistan faces off against Australia (October 20), Afghanistan (October 23), South Africa (October 27), Bangladesh (October 31), New Zealand (November 4) and England (November 11) during the rest of their league campaign.