Amritsar: Led by captain Zeeshan Ashraf and coach and former Pakistani goalkeeper Shahid Ali Khan, an 18-member Pakistan squad arrived here in the wee hours of Monday (February 22) to participate in the Hockey World
Cup which is scheduled to begin on Feb 28. Speaking to the media, Asif Bajwa,
the Secretary of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), said that the team has come
as a special envoy of peace from Pakistan. "Pakistan President has sent us with
a special message that the hockey team is coming down to India to spread the message
of peace and prosperity among the two nations. We will serve as the ambassadors
of peace for Pakistan in India. Pakistan has always tried to spread this message
of harmony and we hope that the Indian government and the people here will reciprocate
the same feelings towards us," Bajwa said. Pakistan is scheduled to play a couple
of practice games before the World Cup opener against India on February 28. The
neighbouring team's participation in the quadrennial event, which is to be held
in New Delhi from February 28 to March 13, was in doubt due to the prevalent tension
between two countries. However, the Pakistan Hockey Federation gave the green
signal for the team to visit India after being assured of a high-level security
cover by security officials in New Delhi. "We have no safety issues here in India.
All our concerns have been addressed to. The Delhi Police chief has assured us
that in case of any emergency the security levels will be raised within minutes.
Our foreign office and High Commission is involved in this to ensure our full
safety. So we are satisfied," Bajwa added. Questions regarding the security of
the players came in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pune city. Police
have promised "foolproof" security for the Hockey World Cup to all the 12 teams
participating in the tournament. The Government beefed up security arrangements
for players participating in the Hockey World Cup after a threat issued by al-Qaeda
guerrilla Ilyas Kashmiri. Ilyas Kashmiri, who commands the 313 Brigade, an operational
arm of al Qaeda, specifically mentioned about the '2010 Hockey World Cup' as he
threatened international players against participating in sports events scheduled
in India this year.
Meanwhile, despite the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) expressing satisfaction
over the security measures put in place for the Hockey World Cup, a top Pakistani
police official, Sohail Khan, said in Lahore the PHF should not relax over the assurances given by the Indian authorities. "All the talk about being satisfied with the
security arrangements is fine and I am sure the Indians will also be providing
good security cover for all teams including Pakistan but we need to be on guard
all the time," The Daily Times quoted Khan, as saying. Pakistan is scheduled to
play a couple of practice games before the 'explosive' World Cup opener against
India on February 28, Pakistan's participation in the quadrennial spectacle, which
will be held in New Delhi from February 28 to March 13, was in doubt due to the
prevalent tension between the two countries. However, the PHF gave the green signal for the team to visit India after being assured of a "presidential-level" security
cover by Indian agencies.
