PCB urges govt to raise Asia Cup issue at diplomatic level
The event is set to be hosted by Pakistan later this year
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday wanted to take up India’s participation in the Asia Cup at diplomatic level believing that neighbouring country’s travelling to Pakistan would pave the way for start of the bilateral cricket relations between the two countries.
Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ehsanur Rehman Mazari met PCB Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi during his first visit to the PCB Headquarters in Lahore Friday.
Later talking to ‘The News’, the IPC minister said the matters regarding India’s participation in the September’s Asia Cup were also discussed in the meeting.
“The PCB MC’s chairman was of the opinion that initiating diplomatic efforts to come out of the stalemate and ensure India’s participation in the Asia Cup and later Pakistan’s travelling to India to participate in the October World Cup," said Mazari.
"Sethi reiterated his position that unless and until India visit Pakistan to participate in the Asia Cup, Pakistan would not travel to India for the participation in World Cup. We have discussed initiating diplomatic efforts to end the stalemate,” the minister said.
Though, he did not elaborate as what kind of diplomatic efforts could be initiated, it is likely that Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is in Goa (India) these days for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council (SCO) meeting, could take up the matter with the Indian counterpart on the sidelines of the meeting.
The Board for Control for Cricket (BCCI) is also tight lipped on the ‘hybrid model’ presented by Sethi recently where India could play their Asia matches on a neutral venue. The minister hoped that the India cricket team would cross over the border to play in Pakistan.
“Both the countries should restart cricketing ties with the Asia Cup as the first event of the new beginning. I will take up the matter with the Foreign Office and see what we can do diplomatically,” Mazari said.
The PCB MC was also concerned about the recent decision by the Punjab government to charge security expenditures amount from the Board during national or international events involving foreign players.
The PCB wanted the ministry to play its role in discouraging such practice as providing security is the responsibility of the provincial and federal government agencies. The matters pertaining to the MC’s mandate was also discussed during the meeting. The ministry has recently extended MC stay for another 60 days following its early stint of 120 days.
“We have discussed the progress on the mandate given to the PCB MC and the progress in this respect in special context with elections and pending complaints from different districts,” Mazari said.
He added that he also discussed different cricket up-gradation programs and national and international cricket activities. When Sethi was approached, he said that the meeting with the minister was "excellent".
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