India's Davis Cup tie in Pakistan shifted to neutral venue

MUMBAI, Nov 4 (Reuters) - India's Davis Cup tie against Pakistan at Islamabad this month must be played at a neutral venue after the latest advice from the International Tennis Federation's independent security advisors, the world governing body said on Monday.

The Asia/Oceania Group I tie, originally scheduled for Sept. 14-15 in Islamabad, was postponed by the ITF to Nov. 29-30 following a security review amid political tensions between the bitter neighbours.

The All India Tennis Association had requested the ITF to shift the tie to a neutral venue.

"As per the Davis Cup Regulations, the Pakistan Tennis Federation now has the choice to nominate a neutral venue and has five working days to confirm their proposed venue," the ITF said in a statement.

Pakistan was forced to host Davis Cup ties at neutral venues for more than a decade as teams refused to travel to the country citing security concerns.

They played their first home tie after a gap of 12 years against Iran in 2017, while Hong Kong was relegated and fined by the ITF after they refused to travel to Pakistan the same year. (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Christian Radnedge)