Pak Sports Ministry gives NOC to players participation in IPL

Karachi, Jan 31 (PTI) The Pakistan Sports Ministry has
said it has no objection if Pakistani cricketers decide to
take part in the second edition of the Indian Premier League
(IPL) in April but made it clear that their security would be
their own and respective IPL team's responsibility.

Sports Minister Pir Aftab Shah Jillani said in an
interview that the Ministry had sent its recommendations on a
note moved by the Pakistan Cricket Board to the President's
Secretariat.

"The Board moved a note through the Presidency wanting to
know if we would allow our players to take part in the IPL
this year," Jillani said.

"We have given our answer which is that the players can
individually decide what they want to do and we have no
objections to them going to India for the IPL matches," he
said.

"The Board has asked for our comments for individual
players and not a national team so we have given our NOC and
sent it to the President's Secretariat for further action,"
he added.

To a question, Jillani made it clear that the President's
Secretariat was fully authorised to issue a guideline or
policy for the players to participate in the IPL.

He explained that earlier the Ministry didn't allow the
national hockey and squash teams to travel to India for
international tournaments because they had to take into
consideration the tense relations between India and Pakistan
in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The PCB had moved the note to the Ministry seeking
guidance after the IPL authorities asked it to confirm if
Pakistani players were allowed by their government to take
part in the IPL.

The IPL authorities had made it clear that if Pakistani
players were stopped by their government from playing in the
Twenty20 tournament they would not be paid anything but if
they couldn't take part in the league because of Indian
government's directive they would be fully compensated. PTI
Cor
PMR
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