Snooker-Tour ACBS cancels their visit to India.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 25 (APP):The Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports (ACBS) has cancelled the 3 Stage of Asian Snooker Tour that was scheduled to be held in India due to Indian government not granting visas to Pakistan players.

Talking to APP, Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA) President Munawar Hussain Shaikh said PBSA had applied for visas for Pakistani players at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. “The ACBS had informed PBSA that the Indian government is reluctant to issue visas to Pakistani cueists therefore the tournament has been rescheduled in March,” he said.

the Asian Tour had been called off by the ACBS board. “In the absence of these players, there was no point in having a tournament, so they did not want to have it.”

A senior BSFI official was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that Pakistani-born Qatari player Ahmed Saif was among those not granted a visa to participate in the Bengaluru event.

Pakistan Billiard and Snooker Association (PBSA) President Munawar Shaikh on Monday confirmed that the regional body had scrapped the Indian leg of the tour. He added that the local federation had lodged a protest with the ACBS over the conduct of the Indian government.

He said but the Indian government was persistent in denying visas to Pakistani players therefore as a result the ACBS cancelled the snooker tournament.

“The tournament, was to be held from February 21 to 24 in Bangalore, India but ACBS rescheduled for the last week of March as to confirm Pakistani players participation in the event, but that did not happen,” he said.

Three Pakistani cueists were to participate in the championship including Haris Tahir, Babar Masih and Muhammad Bilal.