No stone was left unturned to ensure our safety on recent visit to Karachi, says cueist Advani

Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, ace cueist Pankaj Advani believes politics should not be mixed with games and Indo-Pak sporting ties should go on

New Delhi: Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, ace cueist Pankaj Advani believes politics should not be mixed with games and Indo-Pak sporting ties should go on.

 Pankaj Advani

Advani, who clinched his 13th world title after defending his World 6-Red Snooker title on August 11 in Karachi, said: "I don't think these two (sport and politics) really need to be mixed. When we talk about sport, we talk about integrity, we talk about cutting across barriers, we talk about brotherhood, improving relations and I think that's the perfect example.

'India, Pak must play'
When India and Pakistan play in any sport it really augers well for the relationship of both nations in getting closer to each other," Advani told PTI. "In Karachi, they left no stone unturned in making sure that we were completely safe and we enjoyed some great hospitality," added Advani.

The 30-year-old Padma Shri awardee, who is a proud recipient of the Arjuna Award (2004) and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (2006), has also taken up the case of his fellow cue sport stars who have been allegedly sidelined by the Arjuna committee.

Speaking for Asian billiards champion Sourav Kothari, and the women's duo of Vidya Pillai and Chitra Magimairaj, the trio whose Arjuna nominations were rejected recently, Advani said that their achievements are in no way less than that of any Olympian.

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