16 February 2004	Monday	24 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 15: The Indian delegation wants its team's longer stay in Karachi and Peshawar curtailed fearing it may create security problems for the players.

"The team is satisfied with law and order situation in the two cities, but it is concerned at (players') longer stay there," chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar M. Khan told reporters after his meeting with the three-member Indian delegation at the Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

Prof Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI joint secretary; Yashovardhan Azad, inspector general of Police and chief of VIP Security Division of Indian Home Ministry and Amrit Mathur,director BCCI for communication and coordination completed seven-day tour of Pakistan, which officially ended with a meeting with the Pakistani authorities.

The delegation is scheduled to leave for home on Monday. Shaharyar said that the visitors wanted to shorten players' stay in the two cities. According to the proposed itinerary, Karachi is to stage a Test and a One-day International out of the three Tests and five ODIs series.

The city was also venue for a three-day game, but the board later agreed to shift it elsewhere. "Let's see," Shaharyar said when asked if the two cities would hold only ODIs.

The meeting did discuss the proposed itinerary but it would be announced after Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) approved it, he said. Earlier, in a brief appearance before media during the meeting's break PCB chief with Prof Shetty on his side said that the Pakistan team would tour India next year.

He said that efforts were being made not only to make this series possible, but also to make it an annual feature on reciprocal basis. Special visa arrangements would be made for the Indian cricket-lovers to enable them to travel and see matches in Pakistan, he said.

Shaharyar praised the Indian delegation for its positive approach and said he hoped the itinerary would be announced in a couple of days. Prof Shetty in his turn thanked the PCB for extending cooperation to them and said that he was not in a position to discuss any security matters. Mr Azad dealt with such matters, he added.

The delegation also held a meeting with four Pakistani cricketers - Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Yousuf Youhana and Azhar Mahmood - who had been members of the team which braved threats to the lives of team members from a political party and played in India in 1999.

The players said that it was not a specific but a general meeting while Shaharyar termed it a social meeting. Azad was security in-charge of the Pakistan team which toured India in 1999 and he wanted to meet some members of that team, Shaharyar said.