Pakistan Cricket Board Chair Shahryar Khan said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the government are "bowing to extremists who oppose the India-Pakistan cricket series," according to Vijay Lokapally of THE HINDU. Khan, whose meeting with BCCI President Shashank Manohar "was cancelled in Mumbai on Monday after Shiv Sena protesters stormed the BCCI office," said that he was returning to Pakistan a “disappointed man.” Khan was "particularly critical of the BCCI for putting off the talks, and the decision of the Int'l Cricket Council to withdraw umpire Aleem Dar from the India-South Africa series," accusing them of "playing into the hands of extremists." He said that the government had failed to maintain "law and order," by allowing Shiv Sena activists to "break into the BCCI office." Khan: "Previously, [the BCCI] used to say the border crossfire was the problem, or the situation in Pakistan was not good and it’s not conducive for India to play there. Now, Pakistan is saying, how can it be conducive to playing in India, if there is this kind of anger." Referring to the '99 series in India and '04 in Pakistan, Khan said that he believed cricket "could create the atmosphere for better relations between both countries." Khan added, "It looks pretty bleak for the series, and we have to start all over again. We have signed an MoU, but it is falling flat ... It seems we will not have the series, and India is reneging on its commitment" (THE HINDU, 10/21).
