Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 28: Pakistan announced its decision to withdraw from the event on Thursday, accusing India of politicizing the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai by using Jammu and Kashmir as the route for the relay of the Olympic torch. Islamabad condemned the torch relay through Kashmir a ‘travesty’ in an official statement and urged India to release political detainees there.
“Pakistan condemns India’s mischievous attempt to mix politics with sports. As a protest, Pakistan has decided not to participate in the 44th Chess Olympiad and will also raise the matter with the international Chess Federation at the highest level,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the statement.
Notably, the torch relay passed through Kashmir’s capital Srinagar on June 21.
The statements made by Pakistan regarding the Chess Olympiad, which will be opened on Thursday night in Chennai by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, have not yet received a response from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Two days earlier, the Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP) had announced that a ten-member Pakistani chess team will go to Chennai to compete in the 44th Chess Olympiad. Islamabad then made its announcement.
