KARACHI, Aug 11: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) on Sunday ruled out shifting of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Group-1 tie against India to be played in Islamabad on September 14-15 to a neutral venue.
PTF chief Saleem Saifullah told PTI that the federation was making all the preparations to host the tie at the Islamabad Sports Complex.
�We are sticking to our original programme of hosting the tie on September 14-15 and I don�t see any problem or reason for the Indian team to feel unsafe to come to Islamabad,� Saifullah said.
The escalating tension between the two countries in the aftermath of Indian government�s scrapping of Article 370 which had accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir has made the tie uncertain.
The Indian Tennis Federation has said it will ask the International Tennis Federation to move the Davis Cup tie to a neutral venue. But Saifullah said the Indian tennis team will be perfectly safe in Pakistan.
�They will stay for four days in Islamabad which is a safe city. We have made top-level security arrangements for them at their hotel and at the venue. So what is the problem for them to play in Islamabad? If they want, we will not even have spectators for the tie,� he said.
Saifullah said the ITF has not yet contacted the PTF on shifting the tie to a neutral venue. � PTI
