July 08, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 4, 1429

KARACHI, July 7: World cricket chief Haroon Lorgat on Monday promised to pull the ICC Champions Trophy out of Pakistan if there was any threat of violence, after a deadly suicide blast on the night of the Asia Cup final.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive vowed no compromise on safety after 19 were killed in Islamabad.

“The ICC will not compromise the safety and security of any individual at one of its tournaments and if it is not appropriate to play in any country then we will not do so,” Lorgat said in a statement.

“At this stage we are working towards the Champions Trophy being held in Pakistan in September,” he added.

Players from Australia, New Zealand and England have expressed concern over playing in Pakistan, which is due to hold the prestigious Champions Trophy from Sept 11 to 28.Rawalpindi, one of three venues for the tournament, adjoins Islamabad where 14 policemen and five civilians were killed and scores injured in Sunday’s attack.

Sri Lanka is the designated alternative venue but is also facing renewed violence between Tamil Tiger rebels and government troops, with South Africa mentioned as a possible replacement.

Lorgat further said that the security was monitored during the Asia Cup while an ICC executive board meeting last week discussed an independent assessment in which a private security expert, hired by Australia, New Zealand and England has said some fine-tuning was needed for the Champions Trophy, adding a security process had also been agreed ahead of the tournament.

“During the course of that presentation a process was agreed upon to deal with any incidents that may occur between now and the end of the tournament,” Lorgat said. “The process involved an exchange of information between the competing teams, the ICC and the security consultants.

“Our consultants on security have been working with the Pakistan authorities during the Asia Cup and will report back to us as soon as possible with their views.”

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, who attended the ICC meeting, said he was confident the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan.—Agencies