Pakistan's limited overs tour of India will go ahead as scheduled in December after the home ministry gave its permission on Tuesday at a meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials.
The first series between the two intense rivals since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks will start in the last week of December, in the break while England fly home for Christmas ahead of their ODI leg.
Home Secretary RK Singh conveyed the government's clearance with a promise to provide foolproof security to the visiting team at a meeting with the BCCI delegation.
"We have discussed all security aspects. The tour is on," BCCI vice-president and union minister Rajeev Shukla told reporters after the meeting.
Snapped ties
The two teams have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan's tour of India in 2007 after cricket ties were snapped following the Mumbai attacks. The BCCI decided to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan in July by inviting the team for the short series.
The clearance is important since the home ministry coordinates security arrangements and takes policy decisions on visas for Pakistani players, officials and spectators from across the border. Several Pakistani dignitaries are expected to visit India to watch the cricket matches.
{{/usCountry}}The clearance is important since the home ministry coordinates security arrangements and takes policy decisions on visas for Pakistani players, officials and spectators from across the border. Several Pakistani dignitaries are expected to visit India to watch the cricket matches.
{{/usCountry}}The series would comprise three One Day Internationals (ODI) and two Twenty20 Internationals between December 25 and January 7.
The Pakistan Cricket Board, unable to host any international side due to security worries following the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009, wanted India to play in a neutral venue, and had then requested for a revenue-sharing arrangement, but the BCCI did not agree.