Pakistan will send a security delegation to India before giving clearance for this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup.
The government will send the security delegation to India after the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is elected.
"The security delegation will go with representation from the PCB to inspect the venues where Pakistan will play and also the security and other arrangements made for them in the World Cup," an official source in the Inter-Provincial Coordination (Sports) Ministry was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India on Saturday.
The delegation is likely to visit Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
"Before any tour to India it is standard practice for the cricket board to seek permission from the government which normally sends a delegation to India," the official said.
"The delegation will interact with the officials there and discuss and inspect with them the security and other arrangements for our players, officials, fans and media, who will go for the tournament.
"The PCB will share the report with the ICC and BCCI if the delegation has any concerns.”
Earlier, the PCB shared its official stance on the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 after its schedule was released by the game’s governing body on Tuesday.
According to a PCB spokesperson, the board “requires the Government of Pakistan’s clearance for any tour to India, including the match venues”.
“We are liaising with our government for guidance, and as soon as we hear something from them, we will update the Event Authority [ICC]. This position is consistent to what we had told the ICC a couple of weeks ago when they shared with us the draft schedule and sought our feedback,” the spokesperson added.
Here is Pakistan's schedule for the ICC World Cup 2023:
October 6 - vs Qualifier 1 in Hyderabad
October 12 - vs Qualifier 2 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
November 12 - vs England in Kolkata