Daily Times

LAHORE: The blast in Lahore on Thursday has cast a shadow of doubt on whether the final of the Pakistan Super League will be held in the city with provincial authorities considering withholding security clearance. Senior officials say the provincial government has been forced to go on the back foot and will wait for the forensic report of the blast to determine what caused it before giving a go-ahead to hold the match in Lahore. If the report determines the blast was a terrorist attack, the Punjab government will not give security clearance for the PSL final.

A senior bureaucrat said Friday the Punjab government had not given any permission to PSL so far. He added the government would take a final decision on whether the final would be held in Lahore in another two days. “The government will take every aspect of the event under consideration before taking a decision on security clearance,” he said. Another senior Punjab government official was of the view that the government should not allow PSL in Lahore. “The PSL final is not that big of a deal to put people’s lives at stake,” he said. “Whatever the result of the forensic report, the threat level in Lahore is too high. This event should be cancelled in the best interest of the people.”

An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board said they were proceeding with arrangements to hold the PSL final in Lahore. He said they had the government’s assurance due to which this decision was taken earlier this month. He said half of the international players with the PSL were also ready to play in Lahore. He, however, said they were in touch with the provincial government for the situation. “The Punjab Government will give the final call with regards to the security clearance. If the government conveys any sort of threats to the PSL, the event will take place in Dubai.” Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that they would wait for the forensics to determine the cause of the blast before the government would assess any danger to the event. He said the Cabinet Committee on Law and Order was reviewing the situation on a daily basis regarding the PSL. “A team of security experts of the PCB will be in Lahore on February 26 to assess the situation at their end. The PCB will be taken on board for any decision regarding the fate of the match.”