Welcoming the decision by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to play one day matches in Karachi and Peshawar, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Shaharyar Khan said PCB's two primary objectives with regard to the forthcoming series were achieved through the final itinerary.
"The first was that the tour should proceed on schedule and the second that Karachi and Peshawar should not be bypassed again and matches definitely scheduled in these cities. Both these objectives had been achieved," Shaharyar Khan said.
India's decision to play one-day internationals in Karachi and Peshawar is a welcome development since it opens the doors for India as indeed for all other countries to resume Tests and one-day internationals at Karachi and Peshawar, Khan said.
He said the itinerary includes Karachi and Peshawar for one-day internationals should, therefore, be seen as the beginning of a welcome phase for cricket in these cities and needs to be viewed at the national rather than at provincial level.
"I am myself a resident of Karachi and wanted to schedule a Test in Pakistan's largest city," he said adding "the Indian decision to play one day matches showed the international cricket was slowly returning to the two cities, which were shunned for fear of violence."
Khan said he felt sad for the people of Karachi and Peshawar from the bottom of his heart.
"I am sad, there is no doubt about that. But I am happy that the Indian cricket team is coming to Pakistan after nearly 15 years and has also agreed to play one-day internationals in Karachi and Peshawar which were previously branded as no-go areas by the top teams," he said.
Khan
India will play its first full-fledged series in Pakistan since 1989-90 when they play five one-day internationals followed by three Tests between March 11 and April 18.
Karachi and Peshawar have not hosted any important series for the last three years, West Indies and Australia having declined to visit Pakistan while New Zealand aborted their tour because of a bomb blast just outside their hotel. South Africa also refused to play any fixture in Karachi and Peshawar last year.
Khan also conceded an unbending stance towards hosting Test matches in Peshawar and Karachi could have led India calling off the tour due to security concerns.
"Initially, Test matches had been scheduled in both Karachi and Peshawar. However, with the announcement of the Indian elections, there was a clear indication that India would seek a postponement or cancellation of the tour in order to avoid the high sensitivity cricket visit over-lapping with the Indian elections," he said.
He said Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's confirmation that the tour was on removed all doubts, "but we needed to be sensitive to India's security concerns.
"The three member Indian officials team which visited all the centers in Pakistan to review security arrangements ... recommended against the team spending eight to nine days each in Karachi and Peshawar due to security concerns but okayed one-day internationals."
