LAHORE: The Punjab government broke their six-month silence on Wednesday regarding claims made by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf that the short tour by the Bangladesh team in April was postponed since the provincial government did not ensure fool-proof security for the visitors.

“Zaka should not play politics in the name of cricket,” Rana Mashood, the chief organiser of the Punjab Youth Festival and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, said at a press conference.

“We were always willing to provide security to any foreign team. Everyone who has some common sense can understand who is playing politics here.”

Lack of coordination between the PCB and the Punjab government played a vital role in the postponement of the tour as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) got to know about the conflict-like situation between the two bodies.

Mashood also said that the Punjab Sports Board was willing to include cricket in the recently-concluded Youth Festival but the PCB did not give any positive response.

“We didn’t recive a positive reply from the PCB on that… as well as our proposal of holding the Punjab Premier League,” he said.