LAHORE, 7 March 2004 — Unparalleled security measures, usually reserved for heads of state, will be in place throughout Pakistan as the Indian cricket team embarks March 10 on a 39-day tour, its first in more than 14 years.
The arrangements, made after consultations with the Indian cricket board, include deployment of five or six decoy vehicles and the posting of some 2,500 policemen at each of the venues where the five one-day Internationals, three Tests and a limited-overs warm-up match will be played, The News said yesterday, quoting a police officer.
“The sort of security arrangements that are being made are usually reserved for heads of state,” said Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shahryar Khan at a press conference here on Friday.
All routes and enclosures, including the pavilion, dressing rooms and hotel rooms of the Indian team, will be combed regularly for explosives, the police officer said.
“A special reaction force has also been put together to respond within minutes to any incident. The cricket board and federal and provincial governments have set up a control and coordination room and the power company has been asked to ensure stable electricity to ensure terrorists do not take advantage of darkness,” The News said.
Police have advised ticket holders to arrive at the venues at least three hours before the start of the match. Parking will be at a safe distance from the stadium, into which spectators will not be allowed to bring anything — not even water bottles.
“We are on maximum security alert. No one will be allowed to mar the atmosphere of growing cordiality between the two countries,” The News quoted the police officer as saying.
“This is a sensitive time,” noted former cricketer M.U. Haq, who played for Pakistan in the 1950s.
“Pakistanis don’t want any trouble but there’s always some idiot who might chuck a bottle into the arena and that may cause the Indian team to pull out,” added Haq, who rather surprisingly felt Karachi was one of the safest cities for the visitors.
In May 2002, the New Zealand team called off its tour of Pakistan after a bomb went off outside their Karachi hotel leaving 14 dead.
