Bilawal Leads High-powered Panel To Decide Pakistan’s Participation in World Cup in India
The federal government has formed a high-profile committee headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the deliberations over Pakistan’s participation in ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which is being hosted by India,
The World Cup, featuring 50 overs matches, is slated to begin this October but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it requires the government’s approval to send the squad to India — the country’s arch-rival since its partition in 1947.Last week, the cricket governing body sought clearance for Pakistan’s participation in the tournament in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Taking the request into account, PM Shehbaz formed a high-level body to decide whether the country should send the national squad to India or not.The sources said that the committee headed by FM Bilawal will make recommendations on all matters related to the World Cup in India and Pakistan’s tour will be decided in the light of these recommendations.They said that the final recommendations will be sent to the prime minister for approval.
The committee, headed by FM Bilawal, comprises Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, chiefs of the national security institutions, and foreign secretary.In the letter written via the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), the PCB had also requested the government to scrutinise the expected security on the five venues offered to Pakistan for their World Cup matches.The ICC last week announced the schedule for World Cup 2023, with the Pakistan and India thriller scheduled for October 15 in Ahmedabad.