Pak Sports Ministry says no request by PCB to clear Sri Lankan team terror attack report

Lahore, July 31(ANI): The Pakistan Sports Ministry has said that it has not received any report from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over last year's terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

"As far as I know they had sent us a report on the sad incident, but that was sometime back and it was for our information. After that they have not approached us to get clearance from other ministries to send the report to the ICC," The Daily Times quoted a Sports Ministry official, as saying.

The official also said that it was their responsibility to forward any query or request from the PCB to other ministries including the Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries.

"It is true that the PCB requires permission from some ministries before it can send the official inquiry report to anyone, but our ministry has not got any such request as yet," he added.

The PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar had earlier said that the board was awaiting clearance from the government before sending the report to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

"It was a judicial inquiry and we require permission from the government to dispatch the report to ICC," Sarwar had said.

Sarwar had also slammed accusations that the PCB was dragging its feet in the bid to restore international matches to the country.

"ICC is the supreme cricket body and together we are trying our best to see international teams returning to Pakistan in the near future," he said.

Leading cricket teams have refused to visit Pakistan following the 2009 attack on the team in Lahore, which killed eight people, as well as injuring seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach.

The security situation has forced Pakistan to hold its 'home' series against Australia and England in England.

In the last two years, Pakistan 'home' games have also been staged in the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand.

Pakistan, which was due to co-host the 2011 World Cup, was also stripped of its matches following the attack on the Sri Lankan team.

Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final. Eight of Pakistan's matches have been awarded to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh. (ANI)