As India is all set to host the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, there is a big dilemma about whether Pakistan will participate or not. Pakistans entry in this years tournament has already become the talk of the town. To take a firm decision on this matter, the Pak government decided to form a high-level committee, so that they can hold talks on its national teams participation in the ODI World Cup. However, it is getting spiralled day by day, now the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Khalid Mahmood has taken a swipe at the Pak governments committee forming call.Mahmood slams the governments decision of forming a committeeMahmood, in whose tenure Pakistan made a full tour of India in 1999 and who himself visited India in 1989 as manager of the junior team, said it made no sense to form this committee. In an interview, he said, “The interesting thing is that no representative of the main stakeholder, the Pakistan Cricket Board is on the committee.”Cautioning the government, he said it is not the time to link Pakistans participation in the World Cup to the Asia Cup being held in the country itself.The ex-chairman of PCB claimed that by forming this committee of ministers, the ruling government had contradicted its policy of not mixing politics with sports.“While I agree that there is no justification for India not to tour Pakistan now but this is not the way things are done at the international level.”“If you say that we are looking at the security situation before deciding to send the team to India, that makes sense, but to say openly that if India doesnt come to Pakistan then we will also not send the team to India for World Cup, is mixing both things, which we have never done,” he said.He also questioned the need for the involvement of the government in PCB affairs and whether to send the team to the World Cup.In my time….: Khalid MahmoodRecalling his tenure, Mahmood said, “When I was chairman in 1999, despite threats from India, we assessed the security situation for our team ourselves, by sending a delegation to India and advised the government we were willing to go to India.”The sensible thing to do now was to ensure the Pakistan team took part in the mega event or it could end up facing sanctions and also relations with other boards would be soured, he added.Further, he said that whatever decision Najam Sethi had taken as chairman of the Cricket Management Committee on the Asia Cup should be honoured now.“I expect Zaka Ashraf to face an uncomfortable situation, when he attends the ICC meetings later this week, because of the formation of this committee and the statement made by minister, Ahsan Mazari,” the Ex-chairman added.
