Abbottabad removed as venue of Pakistan-Afghanistan cricket series
May 19th, 2011 - 8:17 pm ICT by IANSKarachi, May 19 (IANS) The much awaited Pakistan-Afghanistan cricket match in the garrison town of Abbottabad has been shifted to the capital city of Islamabad.
“The itinerary of Afghanistan national team’s tour has been revised and now the Abbottabad match will be played in Islamabad on May 25,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
The PCB didn’t give any official reason but a top official in the board told IANS that it was taken at the behest of Pakistan’s interior minister Rehman Malik.
“Malik asked the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt to take away the match from Abbottabad which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons since Osama’s killing,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.
The sleepy town of Abbottabad shot into limelight after Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed there by American forces earlier this month.
Afghanistan is the first international team to tour Pakistan in more than two years after terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team in March 2009 in Lahore. The PCB had initially decided to have Abbottabad as one of the venues of a ground-breaking series between Afghanistan and Pakistan A team.
Afghanistan will play their first match in Islamabad May 25, Rawalpindi May 27 and Faisalabad May 29.
- Abottabad venue for Af-Pak cricket match - May 10, 2011
- Abbottabad fast becoming no-go area for sports - May 21, 2011
- Routine security for Afghanistan-Pakistan cricket series - May 14, 2011
- Tanvir to lead Pakistan side against Afghanistan - May 18, 2011
- Osama had lived for some time in village near Abbottabad - May 07, 2011
- Senior Al Qaeda operative held in Pakistan - May 18, 2011
- Arrested Al Qaeda terrorist lived in Pakistan for a decade - May 19, 2011
- Repairing country's cricket image new PCB chief's top priority - Oct 13, 2011
- US senator introduces bill to stop Pakistan aid (Lead) - Jun 05, 2012
- Bank accounts of doctor who helped track Osama sealed - Feb 25, 2012
- "No plan to change PCB boss as Butt doing 'pretty good job'": Zardari - Nov 09, 2010
- Pakistani official to meet Ijaz in London - Feb 19, 2012
- Osama killing: US awaiting clarification on Pakistani doctor - Jun 05, 2012
- Pakistan commission records Ijaz testimony - Feb 22, 2012
- Ijaz sticks to his coup claim in testimony from London (Lead) - Feb 22, 2012
Tags: al qaeda, american forces, anonymity, behest, cricket match, cricket series, faisalabad, garrison town, interior minister, itinerary, karachi, lahore, limelight, osama bin laden, pakistan cricket board, pakistan cricket board pcb, rawalpindi, rehman malik, sleepy town, sri lankan team