Daily Times

The government has finally given a nod to hold the final match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore on coming Sunday amid recent confusion and scepticism regarding the match’s venue due to surge in attacks across the country. There were speculations that the match could shift to Dubai but they fizzled out with the official announcement for Lahore. The decision to hold the match in Punjab’s provincial capital was taken after careful consideration of all aspects with input from intelligence agencies and Punjab Counterterrorism Department (CTD). Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif remained optimistic with the security arrangements and PSL Chairman Najam Sethi also echoed similar opinions. Moreover, most foreign players are willing to come despite some concerns given recent issues.

Pakistan has not had any major sporting event for almost decade due to tense security situation since the mid-2000s. The attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket Team, orchestrated by Research & Analysis Wing (RAW)-backed terrorists, back in March 2009 almost completely shut doors for international cricket in the country. Although the Zimbabwean Cricket Team visited for bilateral series back in May 2015, a minor terrorist attack near Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, which the government tried to cover up as a transformer blast, was a serious blow to security measures. Overall, there has been positive response from the public and political parties for hosting PSL final in Lahore. However, there were still some concerns on political level especially by Imran Khan who termed the decision as ‘madness’. He believed that the match should have rather been held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) owing to unpredictable security situation. His point does make sense for the state cannot bear a mishap in the form of another attack. It would be a major international embarrassment and things should not be taken lightly especially when it comes to hosting international events. Nevertheless, the government has indeed chalked out a five-tier security plan in which the competing teams would be provided presidential level security with four layers of security checks before entering the stadium. This would certainly reduce any chances of any untoward incident and the public would also be asked to get biometric verification done for their own safety. Furthermore, with the people taking keen interest for the match, tickets are already selling fast. It shows that the passion for cricket is still there in this country, which has been deprived of such events for some 8 years.

PSL’s management must be appreciated for showing courage and convincing the teams regarding Lahore being chosen as the final venue. Coordinated terror attacks had raised security concern but the resilience of the nation overcame in the end. While Imran Khan’s concerns should be taken seriously, he should also remain optimistic and even attend the match for showing solidarity for Pakistan is a brave nation of 200 million people that shall never bow to terrorists or their abetters. *