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LAHORE: With Bangladesh finally set to tour here, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) faces an arduous task which is to finalise security arrangements in coordination with Punjab and federal governments.
That job has been made even more difficult with a conflict-like situation existing between the two governments.
Bangladesh will be in the Punjab capital of Lahore for a three-day tour in which they will play a One-day International and a Twenty20 match. Both games will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium on April 29 and 30.
In response to that, the PCB has convened an internal meeting on Tuesday which will be presided over by chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed.
Moreover, Pakistan’s cricket governing body has also asked the Lahore administration for a meeting on April 23 to finalise the arrangements for conducting the series smoothly which would help the country in removing the tag of being a ‘no-go’ area for foreign teams.
However, PCB’s biggest concern is that the Punjab government has not come out with a media statement welcoming the series or promising foolproof security arrangements for it.
“The cooperation of the Punjab government is essential for the smooth holding of the series,” a PCB official said.
“The PCB is expecting a prompt and positive response from the Punjab government in this regard.
“It is an honour for the government of Punjab that the BCB has selected Lahore as venue of the two matches, despite the fact that the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in this very city three years ago.”
The biggest hurdle, though, is that the provincial and federal governments are at loggerheads over several issues. And if they mix their political differences with this matter, Pakistan would be eventually be unable to avail the opportunity that this tour presents — resumption of international sporting activities in the country.
When the Sri Lankan team was attacked, there wasn’t any chief minister due to governor’s rule in the province and it left all the responsibility of providing security on the shoulders of the federal government.
The aftermath of that was the attack on the Sri Lankan team and what ensued after that was a never-ending blame game between the federal and provincial governments.
With just 14 days left before the tour, the PCB faces an uphill task of making all the security arrangements.
And if they fail to get the required support from the governments, there will be several question marks over the smooth conduct of the series.
Meanwhile, the PCB is likely to dispatch the details of the security arrangements to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday, to get their go-ahead to host the series.
According to an official, the ICC security team may also visit Lahore to personally examine the security situation and the arrangements, since it has to appoint match officials for the series.
