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ISLAMABAD, Nov 13 (APP): Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday underscored that sustained engagement between Pakistani and Sri Lankan leadership was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s decision to continue its cricket tour of Pakistan.
Briefing the Senate on the security situation in the federal capital, explained the circumstances under which Sri Lanka decided to continue its cricket tour of Pakistan, noting that the outcome was achieved through sustained engagement between Pakistani and Sri Lankan leadership.
He informed lawmakers that sustained engagement between Pakistani and Sri Lankan leadership and cricket authorities had persuaded the team to stay on despite initial concerns, with comprehensive security arrangements put in place and matches shifted to Rawalpindi.
Naqvi informed the Senate that the Sri Lankan President personally spoke to the players, Pakistan’s Field Marshal engaged Sri Lanka’s Defence Minister, and full security had been provided by the Pakistan Army, Rangers and Islamabad Police.
He added that the players were being treated as state guests and that remaining matches were being shifted to Rawalpindi. Zimbabwe’s team had also arrived.
On the Islamabad blast, the interior minister said investigators had traced the key perpetrators, revealing that the suicide bomber had links to Afghanistan — similar to the bomber involved in the attack on Cadet College Wana.
He said this pattern remained a serious concern for Pakistan and reiterated the government’s resolve to deal with illegal Afghan residents involved in such activities.
Speaking in Senate, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar strongly condemned the recent blast outside the district courts in Islamabad. He highlighted the martyrdom of young Advocate Supreme Court Zubair Aslam Ghumman, who had been distributing sweets to colleagues moments before the attack.
The minister also recalled the loss of police personnel, labourers, daily-wage workers and other citizens, noting that many of them were breadwinners for their families.
Tarar said that Pakistan had once again witnessed how terrorism targets the poorest segments of society, and questioned what ideology or belief could justify such killings.
Referring to the Sri Lankan team’s visit, he noted that despite fears after the blast, Sri Lanka demonstrated exceptional courage by deciding to continue the tour — recalling that the country had also helped revive international cricket in Pakistan in the past.
He added that the Foreign Office, Government of Pakistan and PCB remained in constant engagement with Sri Lankan authorities during the situation.