Security concerns: Pakistan-India T20 tie shifted to Kolkata

PCB seeks written assurance before sending team

NEW DELHI:

The World Twenty20 match between arch rivals India and Pakistan has been shifted from the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala at the last minute after Pakistan expressed security concerns, organisers said Wednesday.

International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive David Richardson announced that the hotly awaited clash on March 19 would be shifted to Kolkata in eastern India, hosts of the World T20 which kicked off this week.

“The safety and security of the event is of paramount importance to the ICC and we have taken into consideration the concerns shared with us by our security advisers as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB),” Richardson told a news conference in New Delhi.

But it was unclear whether Pakistan would travel to India to take part in the tournament even after the venue switch, with its cricket board saying it was still awaiting security assurances from the Indian government.

“The team’s departure – men and women – will remain pending until the Indian government gives assurances... Once we get assurances from India, we will ask our government for clearance,” PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan told a news conference in Lahore.

Khan said he has asked the Pakistani government to seek from Indian authorities a public declaration that the teams would be safe in India. Without the written assurances, he said, the teams will not travel.

Pakistan had delayed their departure for India earlier Wednesday citing concerns about threats from Hindu religious extremists against the team. Pakistan sent a security assessment team to India on Monday after voicing repeated concerns about arrangements for the month-long tournament.



Richardson said he was now ‘hopeful’ that Pakistan would take part.  “We have just conveyed our decision to Pakistan and we are very hopeful they will come,” he said.

Pakistan are due to play their opening match against a first-round qualifier in Kolkata on March 16. They had been set to meet India on March 19 in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh state, where extremists have threatened to sabotage the tie.

Last week state chief minister Virbhadra Singh caused a stir by refusing to provide security for the game, prompting the PCB to demand the match be shifted to a new venue.

Interestingly, after the venue switch by the ICC on Wednesday, Singh said the state authorities were always capable of providing security for the match. He went on to blame the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) for deciding not to hold the match in Dharamsala.

“The state was capable enough to provide security for upcoming Indo-Pak match but it was up to the BCCI to decide whether to hold the match or not,” he said.

As per the ICC itinerary, Pakistan will set up camp in Kolkata where they will play two warm-up games – against Bangladesh on March 12 and Sri Lanka on March 14 – and one main round against Group A qualifier on March 16.

“Logistically and from the security point of view, Kolkata is the ideal place for the match as they would not have to travel to Dharamsala,” a BCCI official said on Wednesday.

“It’s feasible from broadcasting point of view as well since they would not have to incur the cost of transporting expensive broadcasting equipment to another venue,” the official added after BCCI had offered the venue.

Apart from Kolkata, other venues which were considered as alternatives included Mohali – where Pakistan is due to take on New Zealand on March 22 and Australia on March 25. Bengaluru was another venue which was considered.

The women’s team are scheduled to play their matches in Chennai and New Delhi starting from March 16.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2016.