- Foreigners face terror threat in Pakistan, claim Indian media.
- Indian reports attempting to “sabotage” sports in Pakistan, says Tarar.
- He reiterates country was doing “great job” hosting tournament.
Pakistan is hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy 2025 “peacefully and very ably”, said Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Monday, dismissing Indian media claims of a potential terror threat against foreigners attending the event in the country.
Tarar’s stern remarks come after a report from an Indian media outlet, News18, claimed that a high alert was reportedly issued by Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau regarding a purported plot by “active covert groups” aimed at abducting foreign attendees for ransom.
“Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau issued a high alert on Monday, warning the country’s security forces about an alleged plot by ‘active covert groups’ to abduct foreign guests attending the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 for ransom,” the report said.
“In response to the intelligence warning, Pakistan’s security forces have deployed high-level protection teams, including rangers and local police, to ensure the safety of players and their accompanying staff,” it added.
These reports come amid Indian cricket team’s absence from the host country as it refused to tour Pakistan for political reasons and is instead playing its matches in Dubai.
In response, Tarar dismissed the reports, lambasting Indian propaganda to politicise sports with such attempts.
Speaking to Geo News on the matter, the information minister said: “I would like to state on record that Pakistan is peacefully and very ably hosting the ICC Champions Trophy.
“Our grounds are full, we have fans from all over the world, the crowds are jubilant, our streets are filled with people who are celebrating the victory of cricket but the Indian media, which is a subservient media, is trying to do politics and spreading false propaganda against Pakistan which is unacceptable and totally untrue.”
He stressed that Pakistan “is one of the safest venues and we have been able to conduct the ICC matches very very peacefully and very efficiently.”
He also emphasised that reports were another attempt by India to “sabotage” sports in Pakistan.
“They don’t desist from it. They can’t swallow that a major sports and ICC tournament has been held in Pakistan and they are extremely worried about this,” he said.
“Before as well they tried to spread a lot of propaganda about this and tried to sabotage the ICC tournament through various excuses so we think they are extremely pained by this.”
Tarar recalled the match between England and Australia at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium which he had attended and said that he could not find the words to describe the atmosphere and sentiment on the day with the stadium packed with no place to stand.
“Not just Pakistan, there were a lot of fans from England and Australia and I met a lot of Britishers there. This was a victory for Pakistan that such a great match between England and Australia was held in a Pakistani sports ground,” he said.
“Their false propaganda of a low turnout died its own death. Now these false threat alerts that are being run are completely baseless, fake and concocted propaganda.
“The BCCI cannot stay without mixing sports with politics. They are extremists, fundamentalists and hardliners who attempt to mix sports with politics even in the sports grounds with their venomous propaganda.”
He brought up other reports about a New Zealand cricketer’s phone being stolen and added that that resorting to such propaganda in an attempt to gain success could not be sustained.
Tarar said Pakistan rejected such propaganda and reiterated that the country was doing a “great job” about holding the tournament and would continue to do so.
“This is a very important moment for Pakistan and you will see the way cricket is being played in these grounds will be a victory for the citizens of the world and sports.
“India’s propaganda will fall flat on its face and it will not only be exposed but we will tell the people that India cannot digest that such a great tournament is taking place in Pakistan and we have been able to do it very successfully.”
