Pakistan will miss the Asia Cup hockey tournament for the first time in its history due to security concerns as the tournament begins in India on Friday.

The eight-nation tournament is being hosted in Rajgir – a city in India’s northeastern state of Bihar – three months after India and Pakistan returned from the brink of an all-out war on their shared border.

The three-time former champions and one of the founding members of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) have been replaced by Bangladesh in Group B of the upcoming tournament.

Pakistan’s omission from the competition was confirmed by Hockey India’s (HI) President Dilip Kumar Tirkey last week, citing the Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) concerns over their squad’s security in India.

“Pakistan is not coming to this tournament due to security concerns,” Tirkey told Indian news agency ANI.

Tirkey said the host nation “never refused” Pakistan the chance to participate in the competition and that they have withdrawn of their own accord.

Reports in Pakistani media said the PHF informed HI and the AHF of their decision earlier in August, while their omission was confirmed when the tournament’s schedule was announced last week.

India and Pakistan were engaged in a four-day conflict in May, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed. More than 70 people were killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, but there are competing claims on the casualties.

Following the escalations, several Indian media outlets reported that the country’s sport bodies would avoid being grouped with Pakistan at global sport tournaments. However, both nations were allocated the same group in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup hosted in India – but with Pakistan playing its matches at a neutral venue.

The move came on the back of a mutual agreement – brokered by the ICC and signed by the cricket boards of both countries – to “host” its neighbour at a neutral venue at all future global cricket tournaments.