Croatia and France were tied at 1-1 after Friday's singles in their Davis Cup semi-final clash in Zadar after Richard Gasquet and Marin Cilic both won their matches.
No Indian Davis Cup squad has travelled to Pakistan since March 1964 and in that tie, held in Lahore, India had won 4-0.
In Paes's absence, seasoned Rohan Bopanna and Saketh Myneni will do the doubles duty in the July 17-19 tie, to be held in Christchurch.
Faced with problem of plenty, India's Davis Cup coach Nandan Bal said, the doubles combination for the Davis Cup tie against New Zealand will be decided on the basis of players' fitness levels and weather conditions.
In a moral victory for the All India Tennis Association, the International Tennis Federation has given the AITA the right to host its next Davis Cup tie against Australia, which had forfeited its previous rubber on security grounds in May.
India have been seeded third in Group I of the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania zone. They have been given a bye in the first round before taking on the winner of the match between Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan in the second round, scheduled from March 6 to 8, 2009.
The captain may be loathe to the idea, but the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association defended the decision to slot the Davis Cup tie against Spain in the evening, saying the aim is to make the event more accessible to tennis fans and save Indian players from cramping.
Defending champions Serbia will be huge favourites to reach the Davis Cup semi-finals this weekend as newly-crowned Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic returns to action against Sweden.
Nick Kyrgios eased past John Isner 7-5, 7-6(5), 7-6(5) in a duel of big servers to fire Australia to a 2-0 lead over the United States in their Davis Cup quarter-final in Brisbane on Friday.
Spain's depth of talent and growing appetite for Davis Cup success mean the only team that could have given them a real run for their money in this year's final would have been "Spain B".
Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray carried Britain to the brink of a Davis Cup semi-final berth after they beat France in the doubles rubber to take a 2-1 lead ahead of Sunday's reverse singles.
The Spanish tennis federation (RFET) said on Thursday it had decided not to extend the contract of Davis Cup captain Alex Corretja when it expires at the end of this year but has yet to name a successor.
Germany were the fastest team into September's semi-finals, continuing a long tradition of thrashing Belgium.
Greg Rusedski announced his retirement after helping Britain to establish a 3-0 lead over the Netherlands in Davis Cup.
Paes' inclusion under cloud as Indian team readies for a shake-up
They beat Uzbekistan's Farrukh Dustov and Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group 1 first round tie.
Roger Federer toughed out a 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory over Australia's Lleyton Hewitt to level Switzerland's Davis Cup World playoff tie at 1-1 on Friday.
'He has injured his knee tendon. It is not serious and he will be fit to play in the Davis Cup,' Prakash's father Vijay Amritraj said.
India's tennis legend Vijay Amritraj said that the country needs to develop quality singles players if it wants to be in the elite group in the world.
Injured world number one Rafael Nadal pledged to do everything in his power to get fit in time for Spain's Davis Cup final against Argentina in just over two weeks.
An already depleted India suffered another blow on Saturday with Rohan Bopanna pulling out of the Davis Cup World Group Play-off tie against Spain, claiming that he suffered a knee injury during the US Open.
Juan Ignacio Chela held his nerve to seal a 3-2 victory over holders Croatia to enter the Davis Cup semi-finals.
Serbia's decision to leave Novak Djokovic out of the doubles rubber of their Davis Cup final against Czech Republic was "like leaving a Ferrari in the garage", victorious opponent Radek Stepanek said on Sunday.
Non-playing captain Shiv Prakash Misra on the new Davis Cup team, the ban and future of Indian tennis.
The Australian is still suffering the effects of an injury he picked up during the US Open and had been rested as a precaution.
Toni Nadal has given a lukewarm response to the decision by the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET) to appoint former women's Tour player Gala Leon as Spain's new Davis Cup captain.
Lleyton Hewitt was recalled to Australia's Davis Cup team to play Belarus in next week's quarter-final.
Serbia's Novak Djokovic pummelled France's Gael Monfils on Sunday to tie the Davis Cup final at 2-2 and set up a nailbiting climax later in the Belgrade Arena.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Dusan Lajovic 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-2 to give France an unassailable 3-1 lead against Serbia and book their place in the Davis Cup final.
In its endeavour to bring more fans to the stadium for watching the Indian Davis Cup team in action against formidable Spain, the DLTA has decided to conduct the World Group Play-off tie this month under flood-lights with singles matches starting at 5 in the evening.
Novak Djokovic spurred Serbia to a 3-0 win over neighbours Croatia in the first round of the Davis Cup on Saturday and they will be joined in the quarter-finals by an equally rampant France.
Brothers Jamie and Andy Murray claimed a tense four-hour doubles rubber against Australian pair Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth on Saturday to put Britain 2-1 up and on the verge of a first Davis Cup final since 1978.
Holders Serbia avoided any more scares to complete a 4-1 victory over India in the Davis Cup on Sunday and Germany joined them in the quarter-finals as Philipp Petzschner edged them to victory in a thriller in Croatia. The United States also booked a home quarter-final against favourites Spain as Andy Roddick gave them a 3-1 lead in Chile with victory over Paul Capdeville.
India badly missed Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhuapthi as Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman lost the crucial doubles rubber to hand a 2-1 lead to top seeds and defending champions Serbia in the Davis Cup World Group first round tie, in Novi Sad, Serbia, on Saturday.
Debutant Vivek Shokeen lost 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 to Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin in the opening Davis Cup rubber.
The AITA said the appointment was made as captain Leander Paes 'would require help and support'.
Janko Tipsarevic emerged as Serbia's hero after he beat Radek Stepanek in the decisive rubber to propel his country to their first Davis Cup final with an nerve-jangling 3-2 win over the Czech Republic.
Rafael Nadal will play Sergiy Stakhovsky in Friday's second Davis Cup singles rubber after Spain announced their lineup for the World Group playoff at home to Ukraine on Thursday.
Spain's Carlos Moya has decided to skip the men's team competition to focus on the Grand Slam tournaments and the Masters Cup.
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