Pakistan Permits Their Cricket Team to Compete in the World Cup in India

The national team's participation in the ICC World Cup, which will begin on October 5 and take place in India, has received approval from the federal government. The Greenshirts will play The Netherlands in their opening game on October 6.

In a brief statement released on Sunday, the Foreign Office stated that the government has decided to permit the national cricket team to cross the border for the World Cup in India, acting on the majority recommendation of the Ministerial Committee's 14 members.

The government's decision in the athletic arena came shortly after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided not to allow their side to play in Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

"Pakistan has insisted without wavering that politics and sports should not be intermingled. As a result, it has chosen to send its national squad to India in order to compete in the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2023.

While certain ministers from the Pakistan People's Party, including the concerned ministry's head Ehsanur Rehman Mazari, opposed the notion of sending the squad to India for the World Cup, the bulk of the committee members, who were primarily from the PMLN, supported it.

"Pakistan feels that its responsibility to complete its obligations connected to international sports should not be hindered by the nature of its bilateral relations with India. As India had refused to send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, Pakistan's decision "shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-à-vis India's intransigent attitude," according to a statement from the Foreign Office.

Security worries for the national squad are still a major problem for Pakistan.

"However, Pakistan has serious worries regarding the safety of its cricket team. We are expressing these worries to the Indian government and the International Cricket Council (ICC). We anticipate that the Pakistani team's visit to India would be completely safe and secure.

The security precautions in Ahmadabad, where Pakistan and India will face off on October 14, have already drawn criticism from Pakistan.

Concerns were also expressed that, if Pakistan refused to travel to India, the ICC and organisers may consider substituting West India or Zimbabwe for the Greenshirts. After competing in the Asia Cup, Pakistani players are anticipated to depart for India in the fourth week of September.