India refuses 'special treatment' to Pakistan over World Cup security assurance
"For us, Pak Team is as important as any other team," says India's foreign ministry
August 11, 2023
India has refused to give any "special treatment" to Pakistan after the latter sought security assurance for the cricket team during its visit to the arch-rival country for the World Cup this year.
The Ministry of External Affairs of India's official spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi, said that there would be no special treatment for the Pakistan team.
"For us, Pak Team is as important as any other team. No special treatment will be given proper cover will be provided when & wherever required," the official added.
Last week, the government in Islamabad gave a green signal to the national team to participate in the World Cup to be held in India in October-November this year.
"Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with politics. It has, therefore, decided to send its Cricket Team to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated in a press release.
However, the foreign ministry expressed concerns over security for the national team in India.
Pakistan will kick off their World Cup campaign on October 6 against the Netherlands at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.
Here is Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 — vs Netherlands in Hyderabad
October 12 — vs Sri Lanka in Hyderabad
October 15 — vs India in Ahmedabad
October 20 — vs Australia in Bengaluru
October 23 — vs Afghanistan in Chennai
October 27 — vs South Africa in Chennai
October 31 — vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
November 4 — vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
November 12 — vs England in Kolkata
The day matches will start at 10:00am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures and will begin at 01:30pm (PST).
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Kolkata.
If India qualify for the semi-finals, they will play in Mumbai unless playing against Pakistan, in which case they will play in Kolkata.
The Cricket World Cup will be played in the round-robin format with all teams playing against each other for a total of 45 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held in Mumbai on November 15 and in Kolkata on November 16. The semi-finals and the final will have reserve days.
