Congress Member of Parliament and senior official of the Board of Cricket Control in India Rajeev Shukla on Sunday said that Indian cricket team will not be touring Pakistan due to serious security concerns in the neighbouring country. He also cited that similar apprehensions have also been raised by other major cricketing nations.
Pakistan Cricket Board had recently sent a notice to the board, accusing it of violating the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the cricketing bodies. PCB made a claim against BCCI of $6.9 million for damages caused due to violation of the MOU.
“We will give an appropriate response to the notice sent by the. We had a consistent policy that we will play on each other’s soil. However, at the moment the situation is not such that you we can a play a series of Pak’s soil. No country excluding Zimbawe has played a series in Pakistan due to security concerns. “ Shukla told media persons on Sunday.
Stressing further on the security concerns, the Congress MP made a point that security in Pakistan becomes more sensitive when it comes to the Indian cricket team.
“You should first make adequate security arrangements and provide full proof security to your venues. When it comes to India, the security of our players become a major concern, we can’t risk their security at any cost,” Shukla said.
“Also our stated position is that we need government permission. We can’t proceed without getting permission from the government," Shukla added.
Joining the Chorus, BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary agreed that it is ultimately the government which can take a call on India playing in Pakistan.