Pakistani cricket fans wanting to go to the upcoming World Cup have to send their passports to India to get their Caribbean visas.
KARACHI: Pakistani cricket fans wanting to go to the upcoming World Cup in the West Indies face a unique situation - they have to send their passports to India to get their Caribbean visas.
Trinidad and Tobago, who have been authorised by the World Cup organisers to issue the cricket visas, has its South Asia embassy in New Delhi, and those in this region need to apply at the Indian office.
"Our people are facing problems because it is a tedious process and the timeline set for obtaining visas has passed although they are still issuing visas," PCB official Subhan Ahmed said.
Fans in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have to apply through the Trinidad and Tobago office in Delhi while those in Australia and New Zealand have been given another point of application.
"The PCB has spoken to the Americas consulate in the foreign office and we have asked them to see if the Trinidad and Tobago consulate can set up a point desk somewhere in Pakistan," another PCB official said.
"This would make things easier for our people and also save them time in applying for the visas," he added.
PCB media manager Ehsan Malik said the board had also got in touch with the World Cup organizing committee which had spoken to the Caribbean countries hosting the tournament to issue one special visa for the entire tournament.
"The good thing is that the visa covers all the centres where the matches are being played from the port of arrival," he added.
"We are hopeful our request for a satellite office in Pakistan would be accepted because they are a lot of people in Pakistan who want to go and support their team," he said.
Pakistan is one of the favourite teams in the World Cup.
Subhan warned that fans going to West Indies should do so only after getting their accomodation and island to island travelling schedule confirmed as there was a heavy demand for hotels and other accomodation in the Caribbean coinciding with the World Cup.
"Tickets are available but the other logistics are far more important to sort out before applying for a visa," he added.
A travel agent in Lahore, who deals exclusively with cricket packages, said that unless a visa office was set up in Pakistan for the World Cup a lot of fans would be left disappointed.
"In the past, when Pakistan and India have hosted the World Cup we have made special and temporary arrangements to issue visas for the tournament. It can also be done for this World Cup," Iqbal Jununai said.
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