ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday ordered Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali to send a team to India to assess measures adopted for Pakistan cricketers’ security for the World T20.
A decision on Pakistan’s participation in the World T20, being hosted by India from March 8 to April 3, hinges on a clearance report by the security team, read a statement released from the PM office.
A final decision on whether Pakistan’s cricket team will fly to India will be made after a report is submitted by the security team, said the statement. In a meeting with Nisar, PM Nawaz directed to ensure “fool proof security measures for the team in coordination with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi”.
The development came after the chief minister of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, Virbhadra Singh, called for the Pakistan-India World T20 tie to be moved to another venue “out of respect for those killed in the assault by militants on an Indian air force base in Pathankot”.
Virbhadra Singh threatened to not provide security for Pakistan’s players at the Himachal Pradesh cricket ground in the Himalayan town of Dharamsala where the clash is due to take place on March 19.
But yesterday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Anurag Thakur was optimistic that the match will go ahead as per schedule. He had a meeting with Singh and was positive that the state government would not have any reservations in hosting the much-anticipated encounter.
