Pakistan not to participate in World T20 until security assured

Islamabad, March 9 (IANS) Pakistan has decided not to send its cricket team to the World Twenty20 tournament being held in India until the Indian government gives an assurance of complete security to its players, the interior ministry here said on Wednesday.

The interior ministry said in a statement that Pakistan has conveyed to the Indian government its reservations about the security of its team after hard-line Hindu groups threatened to disrupt a much-awaited Pakistan-India encounter in Dharamsala scheduled for March 19, Geo TV reported.

The interior ministry said Pakistan will not send its team to participate in the tournament until a senior functionary of the Indian government gives a clear assurance of complete and satisfactory provision of security to the Pakistani players and team management in the neighbouring country.

The Pakistani government made the decision after receiving a report from its three-man delegation that "security is not assured" at the venue of the March 19 match.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sent the delegation to check security at the venues in neighbouring India earlier this week, with the Dharamsala venue of particular concern.