PESHAWAR, March 16: Pakistani authorities have barred Afghan refugees from the Arbab Niaz Stadium in the border town of Peshawar as part of security measures for India's third one-day match against Pakistan, officials said on Tuesday.

"Entry of Afghan refugees will not be allowed in a radius of one kilometre around the stadium," city mayor Azam Afridi told reporters. The move is part of stringent security arrangements being adopted for the Indian tourists who play in Peshawar on Friday.

Peshawar has a population of 1.2 million registered refugees who fled Afghanistan in the 1980s while an estimated half a million unregistered Afghans are living in private houses in the city.

Officials promising tough security for the one-day international said traffic would be diverted to prevent any incident. They said interest was high among fans and some 9,000 tickets had already sold at the stadium which can accommodate 14,300 spectators. -AFP