Not safe?

New Delhi, Jan. 4: The Centre has cleared the itinerary for the Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan, but with the rider that it would review the security situation again after the first two Tests.

The review, therefore, will come before matches are played at Karachi’s National Stadium, which is to host the third Test and a one-dayer, and Peshawar’s Arbab Niyaz Stadium, venue for the first one-dayer. The first two Tests will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore (January 13-17) and Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad (January 21-25).

The government was today briefed by the central intelligence agencies, whose officials have visited all the venues in Pakistan ahead of the tour that begins tomorrow, home ministry sources said.

The officials, in their five-page report, are believed to have objected to several security loopholes, especially in Peshawar and Karachi, where a Test is scheduled from January 29 to February 2.

The officials have cited a shortage of bomb-detection equipment ? and malfunctioning of those available ? and poor planning of the contingency route and crowd management.

Home secretary V.K. Duggal had at first thought of speaking to cricket board vice-president Inderjit Singh Bindra about these problems, sources said. Later, it was decided at the top level that the home secretary would speak to the Pakistan interior minister and request him to upgrade security to levels that Delhi considers appropriate.

The intelligence report also analysed the threat to the Indian players from Pakistan-based militant organisations.

This evening, an intelligence official briefed the cricketers on the dos and don’ts. For instance, they were advised not to rush back to the stadium after winning a match, nor to react to the crowd’s behaviour.