Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has given a green signal to the Pakistan cricket team for travelling to India later this year to compete in the ICC World Cup 2023 tournament.
The ministry said in a press release that Pakistan has “consistently” maintained that sports and politics should not be mixed. Pakistan believes that its bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of “fulfilling its international sports-related obligations”, the ministry added.
“Pakistan’s decision shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-à-vis India’s intransigent attitude, as the latter had refused to send its Cricket Team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup,” the ministry said.
Pakistan’s ‘deep’ security concerns
The release also raised deep concerns about the safety of the Pakistani cricket team in India.
Pakistan said it has conveyed its concerns to the International Cricket Council and the Indian authorities. “We expect that full safety and security of [the] Pakistan Cricket Team will be ensured during its visit to India,” it said.
The World Cup match between India and Pakistan was earlier rescheduled from October 15 to October 14. The Indian Express had reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) received an approval from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for a change in the schedule.
Ahmedabad is set to host India’s game with Pakistan.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi said that if there is one city in India where the Pakistani team might have security issues, it is Ahmedabad.
“This is a red herring being thrown in our way to tell us – ‘hey, we are going to play you in Ahmedabad and you watch out’,” he added.