The measures put in place for the Sri Lankan cricket team coming to Pakistan have been greatly enhanced after terror attacks in Islamabad and Wana. The High Commissioner of the island nation, Admiral (Retd has guaranteed the players.) Fred Seneviratne, that they are being treated as "state guests" in Pakistan.
There was a top-level meeting in Islamabad among the Sri Lankan ambassador, PCB Chairman, and the Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and other senior government officials to assess the security situation and ensure that protection is impenetrable for the visitors.
Pakistan assures Sri Lanka of foolproof security
According to sources, Naqvi had earlier met members of the Sri Lankan team to personally assure them of comprehensive security arrangements. “Security has been beefed up with the Pakistan Army and paramilitary Rangers now deployed to monitor the visiting players and officials,” a source said.
During Wednesday’s meeting, top Islamabad police officers briefed both sides about the enhanced security measures. Naqvi reiterated that the Sri Lankan team was being hosted as state guests, while Admiral Seneviratne expressed satisfaction with the arrangements after the briefing.
Pakistan has blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for the recent terror attacks. On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated himself outside a judicial complex in Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring several others. Meanwhile, in Wana, security forces foiled an attack on the local cadet college, safely evacuating nearly 300 students.
Federal Information Minister Ata Tarar said swift action by the security forces prevented a tragedy on the scale of the 2018 Peshawar school attack.
The heightened alert comes in the wake of past security incidents involving international cricket teams in Pakistan. In 2021, New Zealand abruptly cancelled a white-ball series in Rawalpindi and returned home citing credible terror threats.
“That is why Mohsin Naqvi personally visited the stadium to meet the Sri Lankan players and reassure them of their safety,” the source added.
Pakistan has a dark history of cricket-related terror attacks — notably the 2009 Lahore assault on the Sri Lankan team bus near the Gaddafi Stadium, which halted international cricket in the country for nearly a decade.
Sri Lanka are currently scheduled to play three ODIs in Rawalpindi before participating in a T20 tri-series involving Zimbabwe from November 17 to 29.
(By PTI Inputs)
