New Delhi: A Pakistani insurgent group has warned international cricketers to pull out of the upcoming Pakistan Super League (PSL) immediately, throwing the 11th edition of the tournament into a security crisis just days before it kicks off on March 26.
A statement issued by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Asad Mansoor called the T20 alliance a “cruel mockery” of the suffering in regions such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The “advisory” issued by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), warned international cricketers to quit the PSL and claimed that the safety of international cricketers cannot be guaranteed in view of the current unstable and unstable security situation.
The group claimed that they would not allow “the dignity of the people to be compromised because of political optics” nor would they allow “the blood of the oppressed to be obscured by the lights of stadiums.”
“With military operations and civil unrest occupying much of the territory, the safety of international athletes cannot be guaranteed. Given these dire circumstances, we strongly advise you to prioritize your personal safety and evacuate. The organized spectacle at the PSL makes a cruel mockery of our suffering,” it said.
The threat comes at a sensitive time as Pakistan is embroiled in an escalating insurgency that has led the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to restrict matches to just two venues, Karachi and Lahore, and ban spectators.
Despite the ultimatum, PCB claimed that the match will go ahead as scheduled.
