By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

June 27 - There are fears that Pakistan may miss the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi later this year because its Government have failed to respond to invitations confirming that they will attend.



They have also failed to confirm whether or not they plan to compete in the Asian Games in Guangzhou in November.

Both events have set next Wednesday (June 30) as the deadline to confirm that countries will compete and to advise them of the provisional number of competitors they will send.

But Pakistan's Sports Ministry have not responded to their invitations.

A spokesman for the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee said: "Only couple of days are left before the expiry the deadline and so far there has been no response from Pakistan."

The Commonwealth Games is due to open on October 3 and last until October 14 while the Asian Games would be held from November 12 to 27.

Arif Hasan, the President of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), expressed his frustration at the Government in Islamabad, who wanted to talk him about the situation last Wednesday.

He said: "The only time the Ministry expressed its desire to hold such meeting was on June 23 when the Commonwealth Games [Queen's] Baton [Relay] was due to reach in Lahore and as the POA President, my presence in Lahore was of immense importance.
"Leaving Lahore on that day was almost impossible.

"The POA requested the Ministry to change the date according to the Baton Relay arrival and departure.

"However, so far there has been no response on these repeated requests."

It was only last Friday (June 25), when the Queen's Baton Relay arrived in India from Pakistan, that Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), claimed that the Commonwealth Games in Delhi could help bring the two countries closer together.

Pakistan made their debut in the Games at Vancouver in 1954.

They missed the Games between 1974 and 1986 before returning at Auckland in 1990.

At the last event in Melbourne four years they won a total of five medals, including a gold for Shuja-Ud-Din Malik in the 85 kilogram combined men's weightlifting.

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