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India touring Pakistan

AFP, New Delhi
India's first Test tour of Pakistan in almost 15 years will go ahead as scheduled next month, the government said on Saturday, ending days of uncertainty caused by security concerns.
Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha announced the green light for the ice-breaking tour following a high-level meeting called by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence earlier in the day.
"After taking into consideration all aspects, it was decided that the two countries should go ahead with their cricket matches as proposed," Sinha told reporters after the meeting.
Vajpayee okayed the tour after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, National Security Adviser Brijesh Mishra and Sinha, the Press Trust of India reported.
The decision comes two days before India and Pakistan begin secretary-level talks in Islamabad on Monday to further the peace process initiated by the political leaders of both countries.
India are due to play three Tests and five one-day internationals in March and April on their first full tour of Pakistan since 1989.
The itinerary for the tour will be finalised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after its security delegation returns from Pakistan on Monday.
The delegation, comprising BCCI officials Ratnakar Shetty and Amrit Mathur and the home ministry's security expert Yashovardhan Azad, is currently visiting match venues in Pakistan to study security and players' arrangements.
The series was surrounded by uncertainty after media reports over the last two days suggested the home ministry wanted the tour to be postponed until after parliamentary polls expected from late April.
Junior home minister Swami Chinmayanand, who had on Friday expressed reservations about the tour taking place, also backed the cricketers' visit to Pakistan.
"From the inputs we have received from the BCCI delegation in Pakistan and our own intelligence agencies, the Pakistani government appears to have taken adequate measures for the team's security," Chinmayanand told the Hindi-language Aaj Tak channel on Saturday.
BCCI official Rajiv Shukla welcomed the government's decision, saying the board was expected to announce the itinerary next week.
"We wanted the tour to take place between early March and April and that is how it is going to be," Shukla said.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which has reportedly gar-
nered sponsorship worth 20 million dollars for what is one of sport's ultimate rivalries, heaved a sigh of relief.
"We are delighted Mr Vajpayee has cleared the tour, but we never doubted the tour would not take place," PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan told AFP from Lahore.
Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh, who will miss the tour due to a hand injury, said it will be a special occasion for both teams.
"There will be great excitement on both sides of the border," the off-spinner said. "The players were worried about the security in Pakistan but I am sure the team will be looked afterwell."
The Indian team, which returned from a gruelling 10-week tour of Australia earlier this week, has three weeks to rest and prepare for the tour.
The Indian government ended a three-year ban on bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan in October 22 last year following a thaw in diplomatic relations with Islamabad.
An opinion poll in the latest issue of the Delhi-based "Outlook" magazine said 77 percent of respondents favoured the Indian team playing in Pakistan.
India will also send a 400-strong contingent to the South Asian Federation Games to be held in Islamabad from March 29 to April 7.