PCB told to take up security concerns with ICC before WC

ISLAMABAD: Headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the high-profile committee to decide the fate of the Pakistan team’s participation in the ICC World Cup has directed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take up security concerns with the ICC with a focus on shifting the matches scheduled in volatile venues to comparatively safer grounds.

The inaugural meeting that was held at Foreign Office Thursday saw Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ehsanur Rehman Mazari and Qamar Zaman Kaira opposing the Pakistan team’s travel to India at the behest of India’s recent refusal to play in Pakistan.

“If India is not travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, Pakistan should also play their World Cup matches at neutral venues. At a time when all major cricket-playing nations sent their teams to Pakistan in recent times, why India has refused to do so? Our neighbours have just one thing in mind and that is not to allow Pakistan to encash Pakistan-India cricket rivalry. If they refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, India will never travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy in 2025. There must be an end to India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan to play cricket,” Mazari said.

The same sentiments were shared by Qamar Zaman Kaira who also wanted some guarantees from India before the team crossed the borders to play in India.

However, the majority of the ministers including Hina Rabbani Khar and Marrium Aurangzeb present during the meeting were of the opinion that Pakistan should travel to India to figure in the World Cup after getting the required guarantees from the ICC.

“ICC must be involved to ensure the security of teams and all other Pakistanis travelling to India for the World Cup. There are also serious concerns about some of the venues where Pakistan are to play their matches including the RSS stranglehold Ahmadabad. The ICC must be asked to look into the possibility of shifting the venue to some other city in India,” the majority of ministers shared the same feeling.

The House generally opposed the idea of sending any government-level security delegation to India for venue inspection and left it to the PCB to deal with the security matters involving ICC.

However, it was all left to the prime minister to decide on Pakistan's participation in the October World Cup in accordance with the committee’s recommendations.