Shiv Sena’s 2nd victim: Jansher is not coming

Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, who had earlier turned down an invitation from the organisers to preside over the function as a chief guest, said: "We are true Indians. We cannot forget and forgive the role played by Pakistan in the riots and the growth of terrorism in the country. How can we play games with their sportsmen and allow their artistes toperform here when innocent Kashmiris are being killed by Pakistanis ?"

The Sena hardline now puts a question mark over the World Open Squash tournament in December. The point is: Will the apex body for the sport, the Professional Squash Association, still go ahead with the event despite the fact that the Pakistanis — a major force in the sport — will not be participating.

Jansher came to India last December to participate in the Mahindra Open after missing the prestigious championship for a number of years because of the threat he perceived from the Shiv Sena. His visit, however, went off without any unpleasant incident.

His proposed visit here next month was organised by the Indian Squash Professionals (ISP) Association in co-operation with Jansher’s India-born coach, Satinder Bajwa. Jansher, the eight-time world champion, was scheduled to come here for a series of coaching sessions between May 8-10. Following the cancellation of the Mumbai visit, Jansher is now preparing for a keyhole surgery formending torn ligaments in his knee.