New Delhi: India on Monday pulled out of the prestigious Azlan Shah hockey tournament in Malaysia after the government refused permission to participate citing recent harassment of its IT professionals in that country, a top Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) official said.

The decision was conveyed to the IHF barely a few hours before the team's departure to Malaysia for the invitational six-nation tournament to be held at Ipoh from March 22 to 30.

IHF chief K P S Gill said the decision to pull out was taken by the Sports Ministry in consultation with the External Affairs Ministry. "We respect the decision of the government. It is a policy decision taken in the larger interest of the country," Gill said.

"We totally agree with the government. At the same time, we will request the government to arrange for an alternative tournament for our team," Gill said.

The IHF had announced an 18-member squad led by the veteran Dhanraj Pillay on Friday for the tournament which also features arch-rivals Pakistan. Gill hoped that the last-minute withdrawal would not have adverse financial implication on the IHF.

"It is an invitational tournament and our participation was based on mutual understanding," he said.

PTI