Sources in the PCB said that alternate venues such as Mohali and Kolkata had been discussed by Manohar and Shaharyar Khan yesterday but nothing was final as yet.
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Questioning the ability of government to provide the appropriate security, Thakur said that if Assam could provide security to more than 100 Pakistan athletes during the South Asian Games, then there was no reason behind Himachal’s incompetence.
“I think if the match takes place in Dharamsala, it would be against the will of the people of Himachal Pradesh…If our war veterans don’t want the Indo-Pak match to be held in Dharamsala, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association should accept it. They are not opposing the holding of matches”.
India vs Pakistan World Twenty20 tie is in serious trouble with the BCCI and Himchal Pradesh government at loggerheads over hosting the match in Dharamsala. The state government too is against the match.
The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Shashank Manohar has assured adequate security for the Pakistan team in Dharamsala during their match against India in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said Sunday that the match should be moved to another venue out of respect for the “martyrs” killed in the assault by militants on an Indian air force base in neighbouring Punjab. The Pakistan government gave clearance to the PCB to send the team for the World T20 only last week.
“Although I enquire from the selectors about the reasons for a player being inducted or dropped, I can not interfere further in their matters”, he said, adding that the selection committee should be independent “at all costs”.
Thakur warned that the cancellation of the match would also result in the International Cricket Council (ICC) imposing a ban on Himachal Pradesh from hosting international matches for a long duration.
“The public opinion is against the match”.
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“In Kangra, every family has one person serving in the Indian army, or ex-servicemen. It would be fair for the BCCI to talk to the ex-servicemen first”, the chief minister told reporters.
