Pakistan Boosts Sri Lankan Cricket Team Security After Islamabad Suicide Bombing

Pakistan has heightened security for the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team after the recent militant attacks in the country. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the Federal Minister for Interior in the Shehbaz Sharif government, met the Sri Lankan team officials and personally assured them of robust protection.

"Mohsin Naqvi personally went to the stadium and met with the visiting team members and assured them they would be safe and secure," a source told PTI.

The issue of the visiting team's security was also raised at a meeting conducted in Islamabad between the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, Admiral (retired) Fred Seneviratne, and the Pakistani government officials, including Naqvi.

During the meeting on Wednesday, top police officials were present, and the security issue was discussed. Naqvi assured Seneviratne that the Sri Lankan team was Pakistan's state guest, and the High Commissioner was reportedly satisfied with the security arrangements after the briefing.

Rising Terror Attacks In Pakistan

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated explosives outside a judicial complex in Islamabad, killing 12 people and injuring many more.

Pakistan has blamed the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and – without any evidence – India, for having a hand behind these attacks. Indian government officials have categorically rubbished Islamabad's dumbfounded allegations.

In Northern Pakistan's Wana area, security forces thwarted a terror attack on the Wana Cadet College, safely evacuating around 300 students. Federal Minister for Information, Ata Tarar, noted that prompt action prevented a larger incident akin to the 2018 Peshawar school attack.

Pakistan has again indirectly blamed Afghanistan's Taliban government, alleging that the TTP use Afghan land to carry out terror attacks in Pakistan. Tensions between the two nations escalated after peace talks in Doha collapsed, prompting Pakistan to initiate military action in areas inside Afghanistan where its military states TTP camps exist.

The Pakistan Army and paramilitary rangers are reportedly deployed to monitor security for the visiting players and officials, the PTI source confirmed. These security measures aim to safeguard the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Pakistan's Upcoming Matches

Three years ago, the New Zealand team cancelled a white-ball series in Rawalpindi and returned home without playing a match, citing credible intelligence information regarding a potential terror attack.

The TTP had attacked the Sri Lankan team bus near Gaddafi Stadium in March 2009, halting international cricket in Pakistan for nearly 10 years as foreign teams refused to visit due to severe security concerns.

The Sri Lankan team will play three One-Day Internationals in Rawalpindi, followed by a T20 triangular series that also includes Zimbabwe. Matches are scheduled from November 17 to 29.

(With PTI Inputs)