Pakistan pulls out from 44th Chess Olympiad over torch relay passing through Srinagar on 21 June

Islamabad, July 28: Nearly after a month since the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay reached Srinagar on 21 June 2022, Pakistan on Thursday pulled out from the 44th Chess Olympiad being hosted by India for the first time accusing of “politicizing” the event.

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It is pertinent to mention that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Olympiad in Tamil Nadu’s Mamallapuram on Thursday, July 28. This is the first time India is hosting the marquee event. This year’s Olympiad has attracted a record number of entries in the Open (188) and women’s (162) sections. The torch relay has passed through 75 cities in the past 40 days and will reach the venue before the official opening.

 

However, Pakistan which was set to participate in the 44th Chess Olympiad until yesterday, has suddenly backed out in protest of India’s “mischievous attempt” to mix politics with sports.

 

 

“Pakistan will also raise the matter with the International Chess Federation at the highest level,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday. Pakistan was invited by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to participate in the 44th Chess Olympiad scheduled to be held in Chennai, India, from July 28 to August 10. A Pakistani contingent was already training for this event.

 

The Foreign Office said, “Regrettably, India has chosen to politicize this prestigious international sporting event by passing the torch relay of this event through the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” it said. Notably, the torch relay passed through Srinagar on June 21.

 

 

The FO said by passing the torch relay through IIOJK, in utter disregard of the globally acknowledged “disputed” status of the territory, India had committed a travesty that the international community cannot accept under any circumstances. “India must know that by such provocative and indefensible actions, it can neither seek nor claim international legitimacy for its unjustifiable, illegal and tyrannical occupation of IIOJK continuing for over 7 decades,” it said.

 

The FO said, “Pakistan also strongly urges the international community to call upon India to end its gross and systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK, revoke its illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, and free all political prisoners including the true Kashmiri leaders”.

 

This development comes just months after India had diplomatically boycotted the Olympics in China over Beijing's politicisation of the games. China had fielded a Chinese soldier involved on Galwan aggression with India.