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Pakistan has filed an appeal with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), challenging its decision to shift the Davis Cup tie against India to a neutral venue with the assertion that Islamabad is well-equipped to host the clash.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) President Salim Saifullah told PTI on Sunday that a formal appeal has been filed with the international body and they were expecting a positive response by November 15.
Saifullah said the event-free opening of the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday is a clear indicator that despite the ongoing diplomatic tensions it is possible to host the Indian tennis team in Islamabad.
"I think our case is very strong because there is no viable argument for shifting the tie to a neutral venue," he said.
But the ITF announced early this month that the tie would be held at a neutral venue to be chosen by Pakistan after the All India Tennis Association (AITA) requested the tie to be shifted from Islamabad. The ITF said it had acted on the recommendations of its independent security advisors.
Saifullah also said if their appeal was not accepted, the PTF had some other options and was working on those.
Saifullah said the Indian officials had used the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl's (JUI-F) ongoing sit-in in Islamabad to convince the ITF that their players would not be able to focus on the matches.
Pakistan's top players, Aisam-ul-Haq and Aqeel Khan have also criticised the decision of the ITF to allow a shift in the Davis Cup venue.
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