According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established a committee to deliberate on Pakistan’s involvement in the World Cup held in India. The committee is currently contemplating the possibility of dispatching a delegation to assess the security measures in place for the event, as reported on Thursday.
In the preceding month, the federal government established a prominent committee led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to engage in discussions for Pakistan’s involvement in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, an event that is scheduled to be hosted by India. The strained relations between Pakistan and India and significant security concerns in the neighboring country have cast doubt on the national cricket team’s participation in the highly awaited cricket event.
World Cup: Committee considers security delegation to India
The upcoming World Cup consists of 50 overs matches and is scheduled to commence in October. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stated that it necessitates the government’s authorization to dispatch the team to India. This nation has been Pakistan’s longstanding adversary since the Partition in 1947. Prime Minister Shehbaz has established a high-level committee to deliberate on whether the nation should dispatch the national team to India, as per the request made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
FM Bilawal leads the committee, which consists of Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, heads of the national security institutions, and the foreign secretary. The committee chaired by Bilawal convened its inaugural meeting today at the Foreign Ministry, with the presence of Zaka Ashraf, Chairman of the PCB Management Committee.
According to undisclosed officials who provided information to Geo News, a consensus was reached during the conference that Pakistan should partake in the World Cup by attending the event in India. Nevertheless, there have been suggestions regarding Pakistan’s potential decision to abstain from participating in the event, given that India has also declined to visit Pakistan.
Nevertheless, according to the sources, it was widely agreed upon that a security guarantee would be obtained from India. According to the reports before the team’s departure, Pakistan intends to engage with India and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to dispatch a security delegation. According to the statement, in the event of a consensus over the dispatch of a delegation, it has been indicated that the delegation will visit India during the last week of August.
