Pakistan Tennis Federation tells Indian tennis coach not to travel to Karachi, Lahore

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tennis Federation has stopped its Indian coach Beerbal Vadhera from travelling to Karachi or Lahore due to security concerns after the attack on the Pakistan Navy's Mehran airbase here.

Beerbal is in Pakistan holding coaching classes on the invitation of the PTF, who have hired him for a month, after obtaining the NOC from the foreign and interior ministries.

According to reliable sources, Beerbal was supposed to hold travel to Karachi and Lahore to hold coaching classes for young players but for the time being has been advised to remain in Islamabad.

Irshad Bhatti, the vice president of the federation, confirmed the Indian coach would not be travelling to Lahore and Karachi for the time being because of the fragile law and order situation.

Bhatti said the present training camp being held in Islamabad would close on May 28 and resume at the same venue and players from Karachi and Lahore will join the camp in the capital city.

Beerbal was supposed to travel to Lahore and Karachi from May 30 to train local players at tennis academies in these two cities.

Sources said the security has been stepped up for the Indian coach after the incident in Karachi in which a handful of Tehreek-e-Taliban militants assaulted the Pakistan Navy Mehran airbase on Sunday night which was evacuated after 16 hours of gunbattle.

Around four terrorists and 10 security officials died in the tragic incident with 20 others wounded.