Lahore, Mar 3:
Pakistan today threatened to pull out of the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 if the BCCI failed to get security guarantees and a “public statement” from the Indian government about its participation in the mega-event.
In this regard, Interior minister Nisar Ali Khan held a telephonic conversation with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan about security of its cricketers in India.
“It was agreed the cricket team cannot be allowed to go to India until foolproof and satisfactory security is provided,” a statement from the interior ministry said.
Even as uncertainty refused to die down over the fate of the high-profile Indo-Pak World T20 match – scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19 – with Himachal Pradesh’s ex-servicemen league protesting against hosting the game, Shaharyar said that the government had told the board to seek a complete report on the threat level and security plan for the Pakistan team for its matches.
“We want the BCCI to give us a clear report about the security threats to the Pakistan team and the security blueprint they have prepared for our team. We want clear guarantees for our team if we are to participate in the World Cup,” Shaharyar said.
He added, “The BCCI is giving us private assurances but we need a public statement as it is important and it should come, as there are threats and we can see them. We have written to the ICC that they should come forward and we’ve asked the Indian Government to assure us and give a statement.
“If they won’t give the statement, then I see it’s very difficult to go to India. There is no deadline in making the decision but we will have to monitor till the end and can even pull out at the eleventh hour.”
Referring to the match earlier in the day, ex-servicemen league’s state chief Maj Vijay Singh Mankotia said that the “matter is non-negotiable”, a day after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh advised BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur to sort out the issue of holding the game with families of martyrs and ex-servicemen who lost their lives in the Pathankot airbase terror attack in January. (PTI)
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