<p>Karachi: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pakistan">Pakistan</a> has deployed army and paramilitary forces to protect <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</a>'s cricket team after a deadly suicide bombing in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/islamabad">Islamabad</a> raised security concerns during their ongoing tour, the interior minister said on Thursday.</p><p>Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir had assured Sri Lankan Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon of the team's safety, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told parliament in a live televised transmission.</p><p>"Our army and paramilitary are deployed for the Sri Lankan team's security," he added.</p>.Security beefed up for Sri Lanka team following suicide bombing in Islamabad.<p>Naqvi said the Sri Lankan players had expressed serious concerns about staying in Pakistan following the bombing but those had been addressed.</p><p>"The Sri Lankan president personally spoke to the (cricket) team yesterday and encouraged them to play," Naqvi added.</p><p>The cricket stadium and the hotel where the Sri Lanka team is staying are both less than 10 km from the site of the bombing.</p><p>The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said on Wednesday that several players had asked to return home after the blast, the first attack on civilians in the capital in a decade.</p><p>Pakistan gave comprehensive security security guarantees</p><p>The board instructed the team to stay, saying Pakistan's authorities had given "foolproof" security guarantees. It did not respond to a request for further comment on Thursday.</p><p>The board said players who opted to return early would face a formal review to assess their actions.</p>.Sri Lanka board orders players to 'stay put' for Pakistan tour despite security fears after Islamabad blast.<p>A suicide bombing outside an Islamabad court on Tuesday killed 12 people and wounded 27, one of the capital's deadliest attacks in years. Militants also stormed a military-run school in Wana, killing three people before security forces rescued students and shot the assailants dead.</p><p>Pakistan blamed militants based in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>, alleging Indian support, accusations Kabul and New Delhi denied. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the attacks had put the country in a "state of war".</p><p>The violence revived memories of the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team, which halted international cricket in Pakistan for nearly a decade. Six players were injured in the assault, forcing Pakistan to play home matches in the United Arab Emirates for years.</p><p>Security in major cities has since improved, allowing international teams to return. Test cricket in Pakistan resumed when Sri Lanka toured in 2019.</p><p>Sri Lanka are playing a three-match one-day series in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, followed by a Twenty20 tri-series involving Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>Karachi: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/pakistan">Pakistan</a> has deployed army and paramilitary forces to protect <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/sri-lanka">Sri Lanka</a>'s cricket team after a deadly suicide bombing in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/islamabad">Islamabad</a> raised security concerns during their ongoing tour, the interior minister said on Thursday.</p><p>Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir had assured Sri Lankan Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon of the team's safety, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told parliament in a live televised transmission.</p><p>"Our army and paramilitary are deployed for the Sri Lankan team's security," he added.</p>.Security beefed up for Sri Lanka team following suicide bombing in Islamabad.<p>Naqvi said the Sri Lankan players had expressed serious concerns about staying in Pakistan following the bombing but those had been addressed.</p><p>"The Sri Lankan president personally spoke to the (cricket) team yesterday and encouraged them to play," Naqvi added.</p><p>The cricket stadium and the hotel where the Sri Lanka team is staying are both less than 10 km from the site of the bombing.</p><p>The Sri Lanka Cricket Board said on Wednesday that several players had asked to return home after the blast, the first attack on civilians in the capital in a decade.</p><p>Pakistan gave comprehensive security security guarantees</p><p>The board instructed the team to stay, saying Pakistan's authorities had given "foolproof" security guarantees. It did not respond to a request for further comment on Thursday.</p><p>The board said players who opted to return early would face a formal review to assess their actions.</p>.Sri Lanka board orders players to 'stay put' for Pakistan tour despite security fears after Islamabad blast.<p>A suicide bombing outside an Islamabad court on Tuesday killed 12 people and wounded 27, one of the capital's deadliest attacks in years. Militants also stormed a military-run school in Wana, killing three people before security forces rescued students and shot the assailants dead.</p><p>Pakistan blamed militants based in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/afghanistan">Afghanistan</a>, alleging Indian support, accusations Kabul and New Delhi denied. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the attacks had put the country in a "state of war".</p><p>The violence revived memories of the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s team, which halted international cricket in Pakistan for nearly a decade. Six players were injured in the assault, forcing Pakistan to play home matches in the United Arab Emirates for years.</p><p>Security in major cities has since improved, allowing international teams to return. Test cricket in Pakistan resumed when Sri Lanka toured in 2019.</p><p>Sri Lanka are playing a three-match one-day series in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, followed by a Twenty20 tri-series involving Zimbabwe.</p>