After a suicide bombing outside an Islamabad courthouse that left 12 people dead and numerous others injured, Pakistan has tightened security for the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team. The decision was made in the midst of fresh worries about militant activity in the nation, especially that associated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Ahead of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs series in Pakistan, the recent attack has sparked concerns about terrorism. Authorities have not taken any chances this time around due to the unsettling memory of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, which put a halt to international cricket in Pakistan for nearly ten years. The safety of the visiting players and officials has been guaranteed by the federal government and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The Sri Lankan is personally met by Mohsin Naqvi.
In order to reassure the Sri Lankan team of infallible security measures, PCB Chairman and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi personally met with them. Naqvi stressed that the team was being treated as state guests and that every care was taken. Naqvi also met with Admiral (Retd) Fred Seneviratne, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner.
The Pakistani government accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan of permitting militants to use its territory for cross-border operations, blaming the TTP in the wake of the Islamabad explosion and the foiled terrorist attack at the Wana Cadet College, where security forces successfully evacuated more than 300 students.
Since the breakdown of peace negotiations in Doha early this year, tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have been high.
Ata Tarar, the federal minister of information, affirmed that prompt security force response averted a major catastrophe similar to the Peshawar school massacre in 2018. Due to recent events, paramilitary Rangers and Pakistan Army soldiers have been sent to supervise the security of the Sri Lankan team.
The team’s hotel, training facilities, and game locations are now subject to a number of security measures, such as escorts, monitoring teams, and limited movement zones. Pakistan’s past with regard to international cricket security is still delicate. Citing real threats, New Zealand abruptly called off a white-ball series in Rawalpindi three years ago, just minutes before the opening game.
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