Chandigarh : Pakistan cricket team arrived in Chandigarh on Friday evening to play their high-voltage World Cup semi-final match against arch rivals India at Mohali on March 30. No sooner theteam landed in Chandigarh, the hotel here where the team is staying was turned into a fortress.
Pakistan team led by captain Shahid Afridi, which beat West Indies in their quarter-final in Mirpur, reached here after a brief halt at Delhi. The team members, coach Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam, quietly slipped into their rooms at Hotel Taj here.
Pakistan team will have an extended practice session at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium, about 12 km from here, on Saturday. Indian team is also scheduled to reach here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, tight security has been put in and around Hotel Taj here where both the teams are staying. "Nearly 1,000 cops have been deployed for the security of the teams and officials," Chandigarh's SSP (Security), H S Doon said.
Asked about reports of terrorists planning to strike at ongoing cricket World Cup venues, Doon said, "We are aware of this. We are not taking any chances with the security and even the teams have been asked to strictly adhere to the guidelines."
He said the teams had also been asked to give four-hour advance notice to concerned security official if any member wanted to go out of the hotel so that adequate safety measures could be taken well in advance."We also want to ensure that there is no security concern about the place where any team member wants to visit," Doon said, adding they had written to the ICC and BCCI about alleged security violations bysome officials of West Indies cricket team when they were here recently to play their league match against Ireland. He said it was for the first time that a jammer had also been included in the team's security.
Mohali stadium has also been sealed and nearly 2,000 cops would be deployed in and around the PCA stadium on match-day as part of foolproof security measures, a Punjab police official said. Police sources said adequate security would also be ensured for the visiting Pakistani fans.
