India’s Pakistan Trip for Champions Trophy in Doubt Amid Security Concerns
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has raised concerns about the Indian cricket team’s potential trip to Pakistan for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, citing ongoing security issues in the country. Singh supports the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to seek government approval before finalizing their participation.
The BCCI has yet to make a statement on the matter, emphasizing that the government’s decision will determine whether the team travels to Pakistan. “Why should the Indian team go to Pakistan? There is a safety concern in Pakistan. The situation in Pakistan is such that incidents occur almost every day. I don’t think it’s safe (for the team) to go there,” Singh told IANS.
Pakistan has assured that all of India’s matches in the tournament will be held in Lahore, and that the Indian team will stay at the same hotel throughout. They have also stated that keeping the team in one city would allow for more effective and secure arrangements.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recently announced its acquisition of land next to the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore for the construction of a 5-star hotel. According to sources, the PCB plans to build the hotel and aims to have it ready by early next year. The new hotel is expected to eliminate the need for teams to stay at distant locations, thereby reducing the need for road closures related to security.
The Indian cricket team declined to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup last year, resulting in the matches being held in Sri Lanka instead. Since 2012, Pakistan and India have not played any bilateral series, with the Indian government restricting cricket encounters between the two nations to ICC or ACC events.
