India's sports minister, MS Gill, has said India should not tour Pakistan in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai. While voices on both sides of the border have lobbied for and against the tour, Gill's statement is the first direct statement on the issue by a member of the Indian government.
"Is it possible for one team to arrive in Mumbai and indulge in mass murder, and have another team go and play cricket in the winter afternoon sun at Lahore, immediately after?" Gill told PTI. Sporting contact, he said, was meant to enhance friendship, and the cricket series was not a commercial drama to go ahead under the surveillance of thousands of security personnel.
The final decision, as he pointed out, rests with the government.
Gill's Pakistan counterpart, Aftab Jilani, however, remains optimistic and said there "was a ray of hope" that the tour would go ahead. "Cricket has a huge popularity in both countries and it will help ease out the tension if the Indian cricket team tours Pakistan next month," Jilani told AP.
He, however, steered clear of Gill's statement and was hopeful that Butt's meeting with the BCCI and ICC officials would be constructive. "I can't comment on what Mr. Gill has said, it's his opinion," he said. "But I am very hopeful that something positive will come out of Ijaz Butt's meeting with officials of Indian cricket board.
"The government of Pakistan does not want tension with India and if we play cricket with each other it will be a step in the right direction," he said. "If India is not satisfied with the security situation [in Pakistan] there's a possibility of playing the series at a neutral venue. In my opinion sports should move on and we should play at whatever place it's possible."
