JanjaWeed
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The Bangladesh cricket teams two-match visit is an apology of a foreign tour but something is better than nothing. However, this news was immediately followed by another highly disturbing news that stated that PCB chief Mr Zaka Ashraf had offered to play Pakistans next home series against India on Indian soil and he had even gone to the extent of bearing all the expenses concerning the Pakistan team.
One can understand Mr Ashraf's keenness to ensure international cricket for the Pakistan team but why should Pakistan go to India to play this series? Such a suggestion gives strength to the existing international perception that Pakistan is not a safe country to visit especially for a long tour and if Pakistan agrees to undertake this trip to India, other countries against whom Pakistan are scheduled to play during the next few years would straight away demand that Pakistan play all the scheduled international commitments in those countries as well. Is that what Pakistan wants!
Let us be honest and face the bitter truth. Law and order situation in Pakistan is unbelievably bad and there seems no hope of any improvement in this situation in the near future. Normal cricket series are spread over months, which is a long duration to provide sustained fool proof security. Just look at the latest incident in which over 300 jailed prisoners in Bannu made good their escape without any resistance. What sort of signal would that escape have sent to the international sporting community!
Under such conditions, Pakistan should play their cricket series at a neutral venue or any other place that suits them and not in the countries they are scheduled to play. How unsafe our country has become can be judged by the latest decision of the Interior Ministry that has barricaded the entire red zone in the heart of Islamabad, which is our capital and supposed to be very secure. We thus need to devise a new strategy concerning visits of foreign sports teams to Pakistan.
In the first place, the PCB should discard its current approach of totally bypassing the Sports Ministry (IPC) and must take them on board on every issue especially those related to foreign visits. It is they who have to mobilise the entire government machinery and coordinate arrangements or else in any crisis situation the PCB will be held responsible. Secondly, the PCB should evolve a new plan for visits of foreign cricket teams. To begin with their tours should be restricted to only ten days with three Twenty20s and three one-day games at a single venue while Test matches could be played at a neutral venue. Once things settle down in Pakistan and normalcy returns, the normal tour system could be restarted.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
If this is true.. then I'm all for it. People should desist from discouraging such move...
One can understand Mr Ashraf's keenness to ensure international cricket for the Pakistan team but why should Pakistan go to India to play this series? Such a suggestion gives strength to the existing international perception that Pakistan is not a safe country to visit especially for a long tour and if Pakistan agrees to undertake this trip to India, other countries against whom Pakistan are scheduled to play during the next few years would straight away demand that Pakistan play all the scheduled international commitments in those countries as well. Is that what Pakistan wants!
Let us be honest and face the bitter truth. Law and order situation in Pakistan is unbelievably bad and there seems no hope of any improvement in this situation in the near future. Normal cricket series are spread over months, which is a long duration to provide sustained fool proof security. Just look at the latest incident in which over 300 jailed prisoners in Bannu made good their escape without any resistance. What sort of signal would that escape have sent to the international sporting community!
Under such conditions, Pakistan should play their cricket series at a neutral venue or any other place that suits them and not in the countries they are scheduled to play. How unsafe our country has become can be judged by the latest decision of the Interior Ministry that has barricaded the entire red zone in the heart of Islamabad, which is our capital and supposed to be very secure. We thus need to devise a new strategy concerning visits of foreign sports teams to Pakistan.
In the first place, the PCB should discard its current approach of totally bypassing the Sports Ministry (IPC) and must take them on board on every issue especially those related to foreign visits. It is they who have to mobilise the entire government machinery and coordinate arrangements or else in any crisis situation the PCB will be held responsible. Secondly, the PCB should evolve a new plan for visits of foreign cricket teams. To begin with their tours should be restricted to only ten days with three Twenty20s and three one-day games at a single venue while Test matches could be played at a neutral venue. Once things settle down in Pakistan and normalcy returns, the normal tour system could be restarted.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
If this is true.. then I'm all for it. People should desist from discouraging such move...
