Summary The security team will submit its report to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Wednesday.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Pakistan delegation will leave for India today (Monday) to review security arrangements for Pakistan s national cricket team for the World T20 that will begin in India on March 8, Dunya News reported.
The three-member Pakistan security team comprises Director of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official and an official of Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.
According to the Interior Ministry sources, visas were issued to two members of the security team which will be departing for India. A third member of the team is already in New Delhi.
Pakistan delegation will be meeting the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister (CM) and Police Chief of Dharamshala and will prepare a report. The team will report their findings to the Interior Ministry and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) upon which the decision to send the Pakistani side to India will be made on Wednesday.
The debacle started when Himachal Pradesh CM Virbhadra Singh said that Pakistan-India match during the T20 World Cup will not be allowed to take place in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh. Singh stated that the match should be moved to another venue out of respect for the "martyrs" killed in the assault by alleged Pakistani militants on an Indian air force base in neighbouring Punjab.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) criticised the authorities for this move. Indian Cricket Board Secretary Anurag Thakur accused the state of playing politics and said the country regularly provided security for Pakistani sportsmen and women.
Pakistan have already voiced concerns about security in India, saying there were specific threats from Hindu activists who forced the cancellation of a meeting between cricket officials from the two countries in Mumbai last October.
Former president of International Cricket Council (ICC) Ehsan Mani also advised Pakistan against palying India in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on March 19.
In an interview to private news channel, Mani said that PCB should take the threats of Himachal Pradesh government seriously and should not compromise on the security of the players.
"I would advise the PCB to take these threats seriously. Because it involves the security of our players, officials, people and media who will go to India for the event," Mani said.
The matters were then brought under discussion between the Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar. PM advised Nisar to send the cricket team to India after the approval from a security team that will be sent to India to perform a security check for the safety of the players prior to the start of the T20 World Cup.
