Security, quake plan ready for England tour of Pakistan by AFP

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Event:

England in Pakistan 2005/06

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DateLine: 24th October 2005

 

Pakistan has chalked out a top-level security programme for a tour by England's cricket team, with a special emergency evacuation plan in case of an earthquake, an official said on Monday.

 

The England team is set to arrive in Islamabad early Wednesday, some two and a half weeks after a 7.6-magnitude quake killed more than 53,000 people in the north of the country.

 

"We have chalked out a comprehensive plan of security which also includes an emergency evacuation plan in case of certain natural eventualities," tour security chief Sohail Khan told AFP.

 

Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken the country since the October 8 quake. The latest on Sunday measured 5.9 on the Richter scale.

 

"Our plan constitutes crisis management and since the Pakistan government has assured England the same level of security which was provided to India last year we are leaving no stone unturned," said Khan, a police superintendent.

 

Khan also briefed two English security experts, Andy Allman and Faisal Nigel, about the arrangements on Sunday.

 

"There will be extensive security with no parking on the road when the team moves and the plans for the movement of the convoy to and from the stadiums are ready," said Khan.

 

"Teams have not been willing to come here and we are willing to concede on any ground because we want them here and we want to prove the point that we can provide flawless security."

 

Pakistan has been a security risk for international teams in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, with teams like Australia and the West Indies refusing to play here.

 

England's tour itinerary was only finalised after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) rejected Karachi as a Test venue and agreed to play only one limited overs international in the violence-plagued city.

 

Karachi was also rejected as a Test venue by South Africa and India after a bomb blast outside the New Zealand's team hotel in May 2002 killed 14 people including 11 French naval engineers.

 

The ECB said they also had concerns for touring English fans and sent a security team to assess all the venues in June.

 

But Khan said there were no specific threats to England players.

 

"Threat levels have a formula and we assess that before taking security measures," said Khan.

 

England open their tour with a three-day side game against the Pakistan Cricket Board President's XI at Rawalpindi from October 31.

 

They play the first of three Tests in Multan from November 12 followed by Tests in Faisalabad and Lahore.

 

The matches in the one-day series are scheduled in Lahore (two), Karachi (one) and Rawalpindi (two).

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)