HC halts Tigers' Pakistan trip
Thu, Apr 19th, 2012 3:41 pm BdST
Dhaka, Apr 19 (bdnews24.com) — The High Court on Thursday halted for four weeks Bangladesh's planned tour of Pakistan.
At the same time, it questioned the legality of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's decision to send Bangladesh cricketers on a short trip to the strife-torn country.
The two teams are scheduled to play a one-dayer on Apr 29 and a Twenty20 international the next day at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
It ordered the sports secretary, National Sports Council chief and Bangladesh Cricket Board chief to justify the decision for the tour in the meantime.
The bench of justices Farid Ahmed and Sheikh Hassan Arif gave the order upon a petition challenging the BCB move for the tour scheduled for the end of this month.
The petitioners, Supreme Court lawyer Kamal Hossain Miazi and Daffodil International University law department chairman Khandker Didar-Us-Salam, cited security concerns for seeking such an injunction.
Clarifying his clients' argument, Azim had earlier said, "The [International Cricket Council] declared the tour after sitting with BCB and PCB [Pakistan Cricket Board] on Sunday. The ICC asked for a security plan from PCB. They have still not given it."
He continued, "Pakistan is not safe for any foreign teams now. Their own media including their English daily Dawn says so. For that reason, no country agrees to play there. Under the same circumstances, we should not go there also."
bdnews24.com/sn/ost/bd/1530h