ISLAMABAD: Sri Lankan cricket legend and cabinet member Sanath Jayasuria has promised to play a role in bringing his country’s cricket team to Pakistan provided a formal request to this effect is made.
“If Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could write to the Sri Lankan foreign minister for the visit of our cricket team to Pakistan, I will definitely try to make the tour possible by convincing my government and the cricket authorities,” Jayasuria who is deputy minister of provisional councils and regional development said this in an exclusive interview with The News.
Pakistan is starving for high-profile international cricket since 2009, when the touring Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gunmen in Lahore leaving seven players injured. Although, Zimbabwe cricket team visited the country for a short tour this year but the country is still waiting for a high-profile team to tour the country. The aggressive batsman who played a key role in Sri Lanka’s victory in the 1996 World Cup was in Pakistan for a month-long commentary assignment with the government-run Sports TV.
“I will definitely go back and share with my nation my experience in Pakistan in order to convince them for the tour. My nation was shocked when our cricket team was attacked by militants so we need special effort to convince the nation that the situation has improved significantly,” said the star cricketer adding that Pakistan has made remarkable progress in improving the security situation in the country.
“Pakistan is fighting a difficult war, I understand that. It took us 30 years to defeat terrorism and insurgency in Sri Lanka and we hope Pakistan will also emerge victorious soon,” he said. He said the ties between Pakistan and Sri Lanka are time-tested and the two countries enjoy close cooperation in almost every area.
During the tour, Jayasuria also visited the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar to express solidarity with the
students of the terror-hit institution. Jayasuria who is also MD GEOTEL Lanka signed an agreement with the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) for international telecom business.
“I am thankful to chairman NTC Brig Viqar Rashid Khan for showing me the positive side of Pakistan by taking me to Murree, Nathiagali and other parts of the country,” he said adding that he saw love and affection in the eyes of Pakistanis for Sri Lanka.