Cricketers are safe, let series happen: Pak

New Delhi and Islamabad have expressed hope that the Indian cricket team would travel to Pakistan as per schedule for the bilateral series to be play in January next year, reports Tushar Srivastava.

New Delhi and Islamabad have expressed hope that the Indian cricket team would travel to Pakistan as per schedule for the bilateral series to be play in January next year.

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“We are keen to receive you and keen to watch your team play. Right now Indian tennis players are in Pakistan and they are safe and secure. The Indian shooting team is in Pakistan. They are enjoying their stay. Sorry to have missed your hockey team,” said Pakistani Foreign Affairs Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi after an hour-long meeting with Foreign Minister, Pranab Mukherjee. Qureshi is on a four-day visit.

“What a thriller it is when the two countries play. Let people enjoy the matches. We love you and all security concerns would be addressed. You will be our guest,” he said.

Mukherjee added, “I also think that the cricket team will go and enjoy.”

On Sarabjit Singh who is on death row in Pakistan, Qureshi said: “Yes, we are cognizant to your and Sarabjit’s family’s concern. Pakistan has taken steps and hopefully something positive will come up.”

On US President-elect Barack Obama’s interview where he spoke of appointing a special envoy for Kashmir, Mukherjee said, “There is no question of intervention by any third party. J&K is essentially a bilateral issue and we have agreed as per the Simla and Lahore agreements that it should be resolved between our countries.”