The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Friday assured Pakistan of foolproof security for its cricket team during the World Twenty20 tournament. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said that the Centre is ready to provide additional security in the form of paramilitary forces for the India-Pakistan match to be played at Dharamsala on March 19, if the Himachal Pradesh government demands it. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is, however, opposed to Dharamsala hosting the game.

This comes a day after the Pakistan Cricket Board threatened to pull out of the tournament scheduled to be held in India over security reasons. Senior BCCI official and MP Rajiv Shukla said, “[Pakistan] should not worry about the security arrangements. Now, the decision has to be taken by the PCB.”

PCB chairman Shahryar Khan had demanded for a written assurance of security for its players. He had said it would be “very difficult to go to India” if the Indian government does not issue a public statement. He also said there was a possibility of Pakistan pulling out of the tournament, which begins on March 8, at the eleventh hour as there was no deadline for confirming participation. Pakistani media reported that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also ordered for the security arrangements in India to be assessed before the team travels to the country.