India withdraws from Central Asian Volleyball event in Islamabad
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Lahore: India has withdrawn its team from the upcoming Central Asian Volleyball Championship, scheduled to be held in Islamabad next month, the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) confirmed on Sunday. PVF official Abdul Ahad stated that India had initially confirmed participation with a 30-member squad, including 22 players, for the tournament, which was set to begin on May 28 at the Jinnah Complex.
However, in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which resulted in the deaths of 26 tourists, diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan have escalated. Ahad explained that Indian volleyball officials had informed the regional body that the Indian government had canceled the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for the tournament due to the recent attack.
The withdrawal of India from the event is a disappointment, according to Ahad, who added that the country will be replaced by either Afghanistan or Sri Lanka in the competition. Teams from Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are also set to compete in the championship.
With PTI inputs