The former Pakistan cricketer, Javed Miandad, might have cancelled his visit to India following the controversy over his kinship with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, but it now emerges that he was given a visa in May last year as well.
With Mr. Miandad — considered among the world’s most pugnacious batsmen in his time — not being on the restricted list of visa seekers, the government had no issues with issuing him an entry permit for the second time in a year.Mr. Miandad’s son Junaid is married to Mahrukh, daughter of Dawood, and as soon as news broke about him being issued a visa, some private TV channels began asking whether Dawood would be the next to be issued a visa. The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena followed suit, asking how granting visa to Mr. Miandad, who is related to Dawood, will help improve bilateral ties. From thereon, innuendos about his ties with Dawood gathered steam, leading to Mr. Miandad backing out.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid has said visas have been given to Pakistanis who have return tickets and want to watch the match, players and Pakistan Cricket Board officials.
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With Mr. Miandad not being on India’s restricted list and the PCB including his name in the visa request list to its Indian counterpart, he was given a visa to watch the final of the India-Pakistan ODI match here.
Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said: “He is a well-known cricketer. His visa application papers were in order and valid.”