Pakistan Cricket Chairman Mohsin Naqvi praised the Green Shirts for their spirited performance throughout the series. Photo: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
The government has decided to deploy army and paramilitary forces to protect Sri Lanka’s cricket team after a deadly suicide bomb in Islamabad raised security concerns during their ongoing tour, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Thursday.
“And now the Pakistan Army, Rangers and Islamabad Police are jointly managing their security and we are giving them the same kind of protocol and security as they are our state guests,” Naqvi, who is also the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, said while addressing the Senate.
Briefing the Senate on the security situation in the federal capital, he explained the circumstances under which Sri Lanka decided to continue its cricket tour in Pakistan, noting that the result was achieved through sustained engagement between the Pakistani and Sri Lankan leadership.
Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had assured Sri Lankan Defense Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon of the team’s safety, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told parliament in a live telecast.
“Our Field Marshal himself spoke to their Defense Minister, Secretary and convinced them and fully assured them that [providing] security,” he added.
“Our army and paramilitary are deployed for the security of the Sri Lankan team,” he added. Naqvi said the Sri Lankan players had expressed serious concerns about staying in Pakistan after the bombing, but they had been corrected.
“The Sri Lankan president personally spoke to the (cricket) team yesterday and urged them to play,” Naqvi added.
The cricket stadium and the hotel where the Sri Lankan team is staying are both less than 10 km from the site of the bombing.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said on Wednesday that several players had asked to return home after the blast, the first attack on civilians in the capital in a decade.
The board instructed the team to stay, saying the Pakistani authorities had given “foolproof” security guarantees. It did not respond to a request for further comment Thursday.
The board said players who chose to return early would face a formal review to assess their actions.
Security in major cities has since improved, allowing international teams to return. Test cricket in Pakistan resumed when Sri Lanka toured in 2019.
Sri Lanka will play a three-match one-day series in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, followed by a 2020 tri-series involving Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly expressed thanks to the personal efforts of the President of Sri Lanka, the Defense Minister and the entire Government of Sri Lanka for their decision to continue the cricket tour of Pakistan.
A resolution moved by Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said the House appreciates the Sri Lanka Cricket Board’s decision to go ahead with the tour despite all threats.
The resolution also acknowledged the zeal and commitment of Pakistan’s Interior Minister, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif for their great efforts to ensure the successful continuation of the tour. (With input from Reuters)
