ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar has said that Pakistan will not participate in the World T20 until the Indian government publicly guarantees security for the men and women’s national teams.
Earlier on Thursday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also announced that it wanted security assurance from India before it allows the team to travel to the World Twenty20 with its first group match at Kolkata scheduled for next Wednesday.
“The ICC and the BCCI have been very accommodating, but it is the Indian government’s security assurance that matters the most,” said Nisar while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan briefed the team players and officials in Lahore on Thursday and was hopeful the Indian government will publicly announce Pakistan team’s safety during the tournament.
Khan told the players the team’s departure will only be possible once India gives security assurance and the government of Pakistan also clears the tour.
The ICC has already moved Pakistan’s group match against hosts India to Kolkata on March 19 due to security concerns around playing in the hill city of Dharamsala.
