Pakistan bars cricketers from playing in IPL

Karachi, Feb 2 (PTI) Pakistan Monday barred its cricketers from playing in the high-profile Indian Premier League, fearing that it would be unsafe for the players to travel to India in view of the tense relations between the two countries.

The decision to decline permission came just four days
before the IPL player's auction in Goa and could further
strain the sporting ties between the two countries.

Saleem Altaf, the chief operating officer of the
Pakistan Cricket Board said they had received copy of a letter
from the Foreign Affairs Ministry sent to the Sports Ministry
which declined permission to the players to travel to India
for the Twenty20 tournament.

"All the players who are already signed up with the IPL
teams or those who were due to take part in the players
auction have been declined permission," Altaf said.

While around a dozen players are already signed up with
different franchises, five other cricketers were due to be
auctioned in Goa on February 6.

Altaf said the Sports Ministry had said they had no
objection to the cricketers going to India.

"But when the Sports Ministry sought advice from the
Foreign Affairs Ministry, they said it would not be possible
to allow players to travel to India for the IPL," he added.

Sources in the PCB said basically the Foreign Affairs
Ministry had said Pakistani cricketers could face security
problems in India due to the tense relations between the two
countries.

"We have been informed by the foreign ministry today that
the situation is not conducive for Pakistan cricketers to
travel to India" Sports Minister Aftab Jilani said.

"We had given the No Objection Certificate but the final
decision was upto the government" Jilani said.

"Players security was very important for us. Initially we
thought its an individual matter, but then we sought the
advice of the foreign office. They are the right persons to
advise us and their opinion matters. They deicided it was not
safe enough," he said.

A PCB source said that IPL authorities were not willing
to give a security assurance for the Pakistani cricketers.

"Apparently no one from the IPL was willing to offer
any security assurances to the Pakistani players," the source
said.

Altaf said an email had also been sent to the IPL
informing them about the latest decision from the ministry.

The IPL has said that if Pakistani cricketers are not
allowed to take part in the tournament by their government,
the cricketers would not be paid anything by their franchises.

But a player signed up with a franchise said the teams
had already started releasing the Pakistani players well
before the letter was sent to the Sports ministry for
permission.

"I don't think conditions are such we can go and play
there," he said.

Danish Kaneria, Yasir Hameed, Yasir Arafat, Mohammad
Hafeez and Asim Kamal were the five new players included for
the latest IPL players auction. PTI COR
DEP