The Hindu : Pakistan to go ahead with SAF games

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 17, 2003

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Pakistan to go ahead with SAF games

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD FEB. 16. Pakistan is going ahead with the ninth South Asian Federation (SAF) Games scheduled to begin here from March 29 despite the reported decision of New Delhi to stay away.

Islamabad feels betrayed over the "last minute" pull out by India and the action is bound to further vitiate the strained ties between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pakistan is withholding a formal reaction on the Indian move, as there has been no official announcement on the development.

Pakistan has reasons to be angry, as New Delhi, just over a month ago, had pledged to do every thing possible to make the games a success.

At the meeting of the SAF executive committee in Rawalpindi in January, India had confirmed its participation. However, Islamabad had factored the possibility of non-participation of the Indian contingent and maintained for months now that the games would go on irrespective of the absence of any member country.

For Pakistan, the SAF games have been jinxed. Originally scheduled for 2001, they were postponed twice.

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