Fate of Pak-India WT20 match still hangs in the balance

ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI: The fate of a much-awaited Pakistan-India World Twenty20 encounter in Dharamsala still hangs in the balance as a two-member Pakistani security delegation assesses arrangements for the safety of the Pakistan team and fans who will travel for the game next weekend.

According to latest reports from Indian media on Tuesday, the Pakistani officials have been briefed by Tournament Director of ICC T20 World Cup MV Sridhar about the security arrangements in the northern Indian hill town ahead of the World T20 tournament that begins today.

"The Pakistani delegation met officials of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association. The team also met police chief of Dharamsala and the district administration," reported the Hindustan Times.

The Pakistani delegation, which arrived in India on Monday via the Wagah border crossing, comprises of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director Usman Anwar, and Pakistan Cricket Board chief security officer Col (retd) Azam Khan. They were joined by the Ubaid Nazamani, an official in the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.

But, as the security delegation reviewed arrangements, former Indian Army servicemen carried out protest demonstrations in Dharamsala against the Pakistan-India match scheduled for March 19.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has said that the state government will provide foolproof security to the visiting Pakistan team. However, he also remains adamant that the state administration would not use any force on the military veterans and their families if they did protest during the India-Pakistan match.

The Pakistan security team is expected to assess the security arrangements in detail and take a final call later today or by Wednesday.

The government had initially granted the PCB permission to play in India, but the board has put the visit on hold until they are guaranteed foolproof security.

“I have asked the PCB chairman to wait, and the team can wait until the security clearance is assured,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Khan told a press gathering in Islamabad last week. “We can delay our team’s departure until we are sure that they will be safe in India.

“If the security team’s initial report is positive, our cricket team will leave for India as per schedule on Wednesday otherwise we may delay the team’s departure. We not only want our team’s security in hotels and on routes, but want our players to play cricket without any worries in grounds where thousands of people will accumulate for the match. We will only give a green signal for the team to go to India once we get security clearance.”

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan has said that the threats against the Pakistan team are specific and threatened to pull out of the tournament unless the PCB gets a clear message about the security situation from the Indian government.