Sense of security
India's PM hopes Pakistan tour will be peaceful
Posted: Sunday January 10, 1999 11:36 AM
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Policemen guard the Chepauk cricket ground after Hindu nationalists threatened to disrupt matches with India's neighbor Pakistan AP |
NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressed unhappiness Sunday over attempts by a radical Hindu ally to disrupt Pakistan's first cricket tour of India after 12 years.
Vajpayee hoped "better sense would prevail" among members of the right-wing Shiv Sena Party, which has threatened to disrupt the tour and harm Pakistani diplomats based in New Delhi if the test series is not called off, Press Trust of India news agency quoted him as telling reporters during a tour of Gujarat state.
The Shiv Sena says India should have no ties with Pakistan until it stops training and arming guerrillas who want Kashmir to break away from India. Pakistan says it only extends moral support to them. Both nations have fought two wars over the Himalayan region.
Shiv Sena activists on Wednesday night dug up the cricket pitch in New Delhi, where the first match is to be played from January 28. Officials immediately began repairing the damage.
The party is in power in the western state of Maharashtra, of which Bombay is the capital. It also forms part of the 19-party coalition of Vajpayee, although it has little following outside Maharshtra.
The Shiv Sena is controlled by Bal Thackeray, a former newspaper cartoonist better known for his fiery speeches against Muslims. Although he holds no office of power, he is widely regarded as the de facto administrator of Maharashtra.
Saturday, police in the capital said they found a letter in the Pakistan embassy premises bearing the name of a local Shiv Sena leader that threatened Pakistani diplomats. The Pakistani ambassador met with Interior Ministry officials to discuss the threats. Officials promised foolproof security to the team from it lands in India.
Security has been tightened in all the cities where matches are to be played and armed policemen are guarding the cricket grounds.
India and Pakistan have in recent years faced each other in a neutral country, fearing violence from the fierce fans. The political rivalry between the two neighbors often spills on to cricket fields.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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