The marquee World Twenty20 match between India and Pakistan at Dharamsala "threatens to snowball into a major controversy" between the Indian cricket board and the state's politicians, dragging Indian PM Narendra Modi into it, according to IANS. At root is the state's political leaders' "strong reservations over holding the India-Pakistan match in a state that has a high chunk of serving and retired soldiers" in the Indian Army as well as families of martyrs of the Kargil War. Leaders from both the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party are "united in their opposition to the Super 10 Group 2 match being hosted at Dharamsala on March 19," keeping in mind the local sentiments. While Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has in a letter to union Home Minister Rajnath Singh "asserted that the state government will not be able to provide security during the game," former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar in his letter to Modi said the match "should not be allowed at Dharamsala in Kangra district." Singh said, "We have informed the government of India on the security issues during the India and Pakistan match" (IANS, 3/1). The PTI reported the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been left "in a bind," with BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur saying that the state should not "play politics." The March 19 game is to be played in Dharamsala but its fate "is now uncertain" after Singh wrote to the Home Ministry stating that the state government "cannot provide security for the match." Reacting "sharply" to Singh's statement, Thakur, who is also a BJP MP in Lok Sabha, said that the state "knew of the schedule months in advance and did not specify any such concerns at that time." Thakur: "People all over have made bookings and it is not fair to give such statements at the last minute. The Congress-led state government is clearly playing politics. Hundreds of Pakistani athletes were given security during the South Asian Games in Assam, why can't the Himachal government do the same?" (PTI, 3/1). The PTI reported in a separate piece PCB Chair Shaharyar Khan on Tuesday received a call from BCCI President Shashank Manohar, who assured him "the best possible security for its players" during the Int'l Cricket Council event. Manohar called up his counterpart Khan as the latter "expressed concerns after the Himachal Pradesh government expressed its inability to provide security for the match." An official said, "Manohar discussed everything in detail and assured him the BCCI was following all developments." Another source said that Monohar "had assured the PCB chief that best security would be given to the Pakistani team and also the media personnel visiting India for the World event" (PTI, 3/1).
