A star player of the Indian men’s volleyball team has reportedly told a leading player of Pakistan’s team that they should play in the upcoming Indian Volleyball League. The league is set to start in March 2024, and many players of the Indian team want the Pakistani players to participate.
The Indian player revealed that Pakistani players are loved in India, which is why they should get registered in the league. Tensions have been soaring high for a few years, as the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government is reluctant to invite Pakistani players to different sporting events in India.
In 2014, three Pakistani kabaddi players played a part in India’s first division Kabaddi league. But ever since then, Pakistani athletes haven’t been allowed to events within India consistently.
Pakistan’s volleyball team defeated India in the 2018 Asian Games quarter-final, which built a positive image in the eyes of Indian players, and recently Pakistan defeated India again in the 2023 Asian Games to finish 5th in the event.
It is next to impossible to get an Indian visa from Pakistan, but volleyball can play a part in normalizing ties between the arch-rivals. Pakistani athletes have previously participated in the kabaddi league, Indian Premier League (IPL), etc., and performed consistently.