The much-awaited India-Pakistan World Twenty20 clash appears to be in trouble after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed its inability to provide security for the match, leaving the BCCI in a bind with Board Secretary Anurag Thakur saying that the state should not “play politics”. The 19th March game is to be played in Dharamsala but its fate is now uncertain after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh wrote to the Home Ministry stating that the state government cannot provide security for the match. The ex-soldiers do not want the match to be held as they are against the Pakistan team playing in Himachal Pradesh. The venues of the World Cup matches were decided one year ago, the allotment of matches was decided six months ago. People all over have made bookings and at this point if the match is not held it would be cricket’s loss and not anybody else. On the other hand hundreds of Pakistani athletes were given security during the South Asian Games in Assam, why can’t the Himachal Government do the same? Howver, the point of concern is that Kangra is home to a large number of soldiers, including Kargil War heroes like Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Saurabh Kalia, hosting the Pakistani team would hurt the sentiments of martyrs’ families.
