Pakistan: Happy to host Iran on 'Davis Cup' after 12-year ban

Islamabad, Dec 28, IRNA - President of Pakistan Tennis Federation welcomed Iran’s decision to send its tennis team to Pakistan to play Davis Cup and help Pakistan resume the event after 12 years of international restriction. Salim Saifullah Khan made the remarks in an interview with IRNA. He said that Pakistan is hosting the Davis Cup for the first after 2005 because the International Tennis Federation (ITF) had not permitted Pakistan since then to host such events due to security problem. “We are having Davis Cup tie with Iran and we look forward to our Iranian friends coming for these matches,” he said. The president of Pakistan Tennis Federation said that after the 9/11 attack, security situation deteriorated in Pakistan. In 2005 there was an assassination attempt on then president of Pakistan and then the prime minister of the country was targeted. So that is why the ITF had stopped Pakistan from hosting such events. “But, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan army have managed to control the situation,” he said. Salim Saifullah Khan said now international restriction on Pakistan to host 'Davis Cup' has been lifted. “The tennis was going down in Pakistan because, the Davis Cup was not coming here and when we were host the ITF asked us every time to go to Sri Lanka, Turkey, Thailand and play there. Our players were also getting discouraged and the tennis lovers could not watch the game,” he said. He also lauded the cooperation of Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost regarding Davis Cup in Pakistan. 1378/IRNA