Pakistan deploys army to protect Sri Lankan cricket team

Pakistan has deployed army and paramilitary forces to protect Sri Lanka’s cricket team and has shifted the entire T20 tri-nation series to Rawalpindi, after a deadly suicide bombing in Islamabad raised security concerns during the ongoing tour by international players.

Sri Lanka are playing a three-match one-day series in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, followed by a Twenty20 tri-series, involving Zimbabwe and Pakistan. The series, seen as key preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, had originally scheduled five matches in Lahore.

Following the terrorist incident, Field Marshal Asim Munir had assured Sri Lankan Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon of the team’s safety, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told parliament in a live televised transmission on Thursday.

At least 12 killed, 36 injured in Islamabad blast

“Our army and paramilitary are deployed for the Sri Lankan team’s security,” he added.

The cricket stadium and the hotel where the Sri Lanka team is staying are both less than 10 kilometres from the site of the bombing.

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said on Wednesday that several players had asked to return home after the blast, the first attack on civilians in the capital in a decade.

The board instructed the team to stay, saying Pakistan’s authorities had given “foolproof” security guarantees. It did not respond to a request for further comment on Thursday.

A suicide bombing outside an Islamabad court on Tuesday killed 12 people and wounded 27, one of the capital’s deadliest attacks in years. Militants also stormed a military-run school in Wana, killing three people before security forces rescued students and shot the assailants dead.

Pakistan blamed militants based in Afghanistan, alleging Indian support, accusations Kabul and New Delhi denied. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the attacks had put the country in a “state of war”.

The violence revived memories of the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team which halted international cricket in Pakistan for nearly a decade. Security has since improved, allowing major teams to return.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also said on Thursday that the the tri-nation Twenty20 international series will be played entirely in Rawalpindi from November 18, after the bombing in Islamabad.

“The decision to revise the schedule was made in consultation with Sri Lanka Cricket and Zimbabwe Cricket, following mutual discussions to accommodate operational and match requirements,” the PCB said in a statement.