The eagerly anticipated India-Pakistan match of the T20 WC 2016 has run into another controversy after Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh, on Tuesday (March 1) expressed his inability to provide security for the match, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a fix with just a week to go for the start of the multi-nation event.
The marquee clash of Group 2 is scheduled to be played in the hill-town of Dharamsala on March 19 but its fate hangs in the balance after Virbhadra Singh wrote to the Indian home ministry stating that the state government would not be able to provide adequate security for the match.
Reacting to Mr. Singh's claims, Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, hit back angrily stating that petty politics was being resorted to at a time when the country's image was at stake. "The venues of the World Cup matches were decided one year ago, the allotment of matches was decided six months ago. People all over have made bookings and it is not fair to give such statements at the last minute," he said.
"The Congress-led state government is clearly playing politics. Hundreds of Pakistani athletes were given security during the South Asian Games in Assam, why can't the Himachal government do the same? By claiming that you cannot provide security, you are only giving credence to Pakistani claims that there is a security threat to their team in India. It's about the country's image, you cannot play politics over it," he added.
On Monday, the Himachal Pradesh Congress, a political rival of the Thakur-represented Bhartiya Janata Party, had asked the BCCI to either cancel the proposed match or shift the venue. Only last week, did the Pakistan team receive clearance from their government to travel to India, ending a period of uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament.
http://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/78351/himachal-government-not-keen-on-hosting-india-pakistan-world-t20-game
The marquee clash of Group 2 is scheduled to be played in the hill-town of Dharamsala on March 19 but its fate hangs in the balance after Virbhadra Singh wrote to the Indian home ministry stating that the state government would not be able to provide adequate security for the match.
Reacting to Mr. Singh's claims, Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, hit back angrily stating that petty politics was being resorted to at a time when the country's image was at stake. "The venues of the World Cup matches were decided one year ago, the allotment of matches was decided six months ago. People all over have made bookings and it is not fair to give such statements at the last minute," he said.
"The Congress-led state government is clearly playing politics. Hundreds of Pakistani athletes were given security during the South Asian Games in Assam, why can't the Himachal government do the same? By claiming that you cannot provide security, you are only giving credence to Pakistani claims that there is a security threat to their team in India. It's about the country's image, you cannot play politics over it," he added.
On Monday, the Himachal Pradesh Congress, a political rival of the Thakur-represented Bhartiya Janata Party, had asked the BCCI to either cancel the proposed match or shift the venue. Only last week, did the Pakistan team receive clearance from their government to travel to India, ending a period of uncertainty surrounding their participation in the tournament.
http://m.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/78351/himachal-government-not-keen-on-hosting-india-pakistan-world-t20-game
