Pakistan not to participate in Asia Cup

The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Lt Gen Tauqir Zia Thursday said he would not reconsider his decision to send the team for August's Asia Cup in Dhaka but added that he was more than willing to discuss the revival of cricket relations with India when he meets his counterpart Jaghmohan Dalmiya in Dubai on May 3.

The two cricket board chiefs will be together for the one-day Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) congress during which the Asia Cup will also come under discussion.

"I have received several (telephonic) calls from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohammad Ali Asghar requesting me to reconsider the decision. But I am firm and though Asia Cup would be discussed at the ACF, there would be status quo as far as Pakistan's stand is concerned," Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said in a statement.

On the revival of relations with India, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia said Pakistan has always believed that sports and politics should not be mixed. "Pakistan has always been flexible and sporting but unfortunately we have not been reciprocated.

"So much so that Pakistan went to an extent that it also forfeited the rights to host the Asia Cup just to allow India to play cricket with Pakistan. But our gesture was wrongly interpreted and New Delhi refused BCCI the permission to send its team for a full tour last month citing security concerns.

"The cancellation has not only disappointed billions of cricket fans on both the sides of the border, it has also affected the PCB financially. I mean from our last tour to India (in 1999), BCCI earned approximately $50 million but we have suffered loss of about $40 million from the cancellation of two tours. Needless to say that development and progress of Asian countries is also being affected by India's stand."

He said when he meets Dalmiya in Dubai, he would once again convey to him that Pakistan would not tour India until India fulfilled its international commitment in Pakistan. "Yes, like every Pakistani, I want the revival of cricket between the two countries. But for that, India will first have to play cricket in Pakistan otherwise Pakistan would continue to cancel its tours to India."

On the Under-17 Asia Cup to be played in Mumbai this November, the PCB Chairman said if he was not sending his senior team to Dhaka, it was anybody's guess what will be his decision regarding sending the team to Mumbai. "But I will announce my decision on May 3 after discussing the matter with the ACC. Let me first hear their (ACC and India's) viewpoints and only then I will announce my decision."

Samiul Hasan
General Manager - Media
Mobile + 92 300 8424 389
17 April 2003