ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has criticised the government’s decision to host the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore, saying holding a cricket match in a curfew-like situation would be detrimental to Pakistan’s image.

“Under such monumental security arrangements, matches can even be held in Iraq and Syria,” Mr Khan remarked during a press conference on Thursday.

The conference was arranged by Mr Khan to highlight the achievements of the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in its implementation of the ‘billion tree tsunami’ project.

However, reporters present mainly asked questions about the forthcoming cricket final, diverting attention from the purpose of the conference.

Imran’s press conference held to discuss ‘billion trees’ project focuses on PSL final instead

Mr Khan claimed that if any adverse incident occurs on the day of the final, it would prove to be the end of international cricket in Pakistan, and the country will not be able to attempt to revive the sport for another decade.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that on the one hand, his party was asked to cancel its public meetings, and on the other, the government was spending a significant amount of money on security arrangements for the cricket stadium just for one match.

“30,000 security personnel are being deployed for one PSL final match. What kind of message of peace will we send abroad by arranging the match after closing down shops and roads?”

Mr Khan also criticised the format and the idea for the PSL, saying matches featuring domestic teams held in empty stadiums in Dubai would not help promote the sport in Pakistan. Instead, he argued the whole tournament should have been arranged in the country.

He also criticised the cricket managers for failing to attract quality international players to the tournament.

KP’s billion tree tsunami

The PTI chief said the KP government has taken strict action against the timber mafia in the province, which had previously expanded its influence into the police department and bureaucracy.

He said when his party came to power in the province, some 100 billion trees had already been felled.

He claimed that 75 million trees have been planted in KP, and the government will soon meet its one billion trees target.

Mr Khan said the KP government has grown forests 10 times greater than Punjab’s Changa Manga forests, and some 500,000 people have been employed under this project.

He also criticised the Punjab government for spending billions of taxpayer money on advertisements highlighting its achievements, saying the Punjab government has spent Rs20 billion on advertisements while the KP government has only spent Rs1.5 billion.

Mr expressed the hope that other provinces would undertake similar initiatives, and said KP’s project has been acknowledged internationally as well.

He added that KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak “deserves appreciation for strengthening institutions like the police and local government” and has set the precedent for other provinces to follow.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2017