Pakistan's Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday that Army Chief Asim Munir personally intervened to salvage the Sri Lankan cricket team's tour after the Islamabad suicide attack. As claimed by a PTI report.
Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi informed the Senate that Field Marshal Asim Munir engaged with top-level Sri Lankan officials to ease the situation, as the Sri Lankan players were hesitant to play following the attack.
The Sri Lanka Cricket Board stated late on Wednesday night that their team’s tour of Pakistan would proceed. This decision came after high-level discussions, averting a crisis for Pakistan.
Naqvi, also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said, “Our Field Marshal (Asim Munir) personally spoke with their Defense Minister and Secretary, ensuring their complete security.” Naqvi mentioned that following the attack, the Sri Lankan team had decided to return.
Naqvi added, “After our conversations, their board, players, and everyone bravely chose to stay. They had several concerns, but we endeavored to address them all.”
Naqvi noted that Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also spoke with the team to reassure them. He stated that the visiting team is receiving top-tier security, with the Pakistan Army, Rangers, and Islamabad Police overseeing their protection. They are being accorded the same protocol as state guests.
The PCB chief announced that while Zimbabwe's team has already arrived in Pakistan, the remaining matches will take place in Rawalpindi. The series has been rescheduled to start on November 18 instead of November 17, and all matches will be held in Rawalpindi, although Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium was originally chosen for all T20 matches.
The crisis began on Tuesday after a suicide attack in Islamabad claimed 12 lives. The explosion occurred just as the first ODI match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi was about to begin.
Notably, in 2009, the Sri Lankan team narrowly escaped a terrorist attack when militants targeted their bus en route to Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. Six Sri Lankan players were injured in that attack, while six Pakistani policemen and two civilians lost their lives.
