PM of UK Rishi Sunak’s office breaks silence on Shoaib Bashir visa row; ECB also wants clarification from BCCI
On Wednesday, England spinner Shoaib Bashir, who is of Pakistani origin, was granted a visa to travel to India for the upcoming Test series after a fair share of controversy. After being denied the visa at first, the youngster was asked to fly back home after the ECB had to step in.
This had left England skipper Ben Stokes miffed. But as it turns out, Bashir will be in India for the second Test. Having said that, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the government expected British citizens to be treated fairly by India’s visa processes.
The spokesperson said, “I can’t speak to the specifics of this case. But more broadly, we have previously raised issues of this kind with the High Commission. We have been clear that we expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa processes. We have previously raised the issues British citizens with Pakistani heritage have experienced. We’ve raised issues about their experience of applying for visas with the Indian High Commissioner in London.”
On the other side, the ECB demands clarification from Indian authorities to avoid such complications in the future. Bashir’s saga highlights the challenges faced by players with certain backgrounds, raising questions about visa procedures and potential discrimination.
As tensions simmer, cricket fans, the ECB, and Shoaib Bashir himself await a smooth resolution, hoping the focus can shift back to the field and the exciting test series ahead.