ISLAMABAD: The federal government has instructed the Punjab government to put on hold the decision to host the final of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore and first to seek input from the security establishment. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif had discussed the issue over phone. During the discussion, it was decided that the Punjab government would officially take up the issue of the security of the mega event with the military authorities. “A decision in favour of hosting the PSL final in the provincial capital on March 5 depends on the input from the security brass,” an official said. Earlier, the decision on the PSL final was expected to be taken on Friday but the Punjab government was asked to wait for arrival of the PM from Turkey. An important meeting of Punjab’s apex committee is also expected on Monday (today) under the chairmanship of the CM Shahbaz. Reportedly, the issue of the PSL final will be discussed in the meeting. A decision is expected, however, in a subsequent cabinet meeting. “If the military authorities confirm that security measures are aboveboard and chances of any untoward activity are nil then we can go ahead with hosting the PSL final in Lahore. Else, the gravity of the situation could lead to exercising other options,” an official privy to the issue said. According to some sources, in recent meetings of Cabinet Committee for Law and Order, intelligence shared with the government suggested a high level of threat to the city. They said in the wake of the reports, it was difficult for the government to make a decision. He said in case government decided to cancel the event, it would give a very negative message and spread a sense of insecurity; however, if the government decided to proceed with it and any untoward incident happened then the repercussions would also be devastating. Sources said the PM was all for holding the final in Lahore. “But the matter has to be seen beyond personal preferences,” a federal government functionary said. Apart from the PM, army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa has also put his weight behind the PSL’s final in the provincial capital. However, the recent attacks in different parts of the country including a ‘mysterious’ blast at a posh cafe in Lahore appear to have mounted the concerns of the government.