Anurag Thakur, the BCCI secretary, has expressed strong concerns over a reported letter written by the Himachal Pradesh chief minister to the Indian government, expressing his state government’s difficulty in providing security for the marquee World T20 match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19.
It is understood that Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, who heads the Congress government in the northern state, wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying the match should not be played in Dharamsala, keeping in mind prevailing local sentiment in Himachal over the recent terrorist attacks in Pathankot, which lies close to the Pakistan border, near the intersection of the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
“Many incidents have taken place in recent past, like Pathankot attack,” Singh told the media on Tuesday. “Soldiers from Himachal lost their lives in J&K. If our war veterans don’t want Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala, Himachal cricket association should accept their condition.”
Dharamsala is set to host eight matches in the World T20, including two Super10 games: Australia v New Zealand on March 18 and the India-Pakistan game the next day.
Singh said his objection was only limited to the March 19 match. “They are not opposing holding of matches,” the Himachal chief minister said. “They are against Pak team playing in Himachal Pradesh.”
However Thakur, a member of parliament with the ruling BJP central government, said Singh was only playing mischief, and that it was inappropriate to mix sport and politics. “The venues for World Cup were finalised a year in advance. The allotment of matches for the World Cup were finalised many months ago,” Thakur told reporters in Delhi on Tuesday. “Fans and media from around the globe based on the fixtures make their bookings and we make sure we provide them with the facilities. – Agencies
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