RAWALPINDI: Special security arrangements were put in place for three International Cricket Council (ICC) match officials who arrived at Islamabad International Airport on Friday, a day before the first ODI match between Pakistan and Australia at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium today (Saturday).

According to sources, three-member team of ICC match officials – two umpires Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Kettleborough and match referee Graeme Labrooy – arrived in Islamabad on Friday morning. After their arrival, they were escorted to Islamabad amid tight security.

As part of the security and traffic arrangements, 12 police pickets were established along the route from IIAP to Islamabad on the arrival of ICC match officials, while the Dolphin Force and Elite Force commandos were deployed along the route to ensure foolproof security.

Superintendent of Police Potohar Division Babar Mumtaz was supervising the security, while CTO Farhan Aslam was heading the traffic arrangements as all the link roads were blocked for the traffic during the VIP movement.

Elaborate security, traffic plans devised for upcoming Pakistan-Australia series

Similar special security arrangements had been put in place one week ago on the arrival of an advance security official from the Australian cricket team who also visited Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to review the security arrangements ahead of the Australian team’s arrival.

Australian official Greg Bishop arrived in Islamabad on Thursday (May 21), visited the stadium and reviewed the security and other arrangements regarding the upcoming one day match.

The Australian cricket team is touring Pakistan for a three-match ODI series scheduled to start from May 30 to June 4. The Australian squad arrived in Islamabad on May 23 with its first ODI match to be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and the other two matches in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

As part of the security plan for the ODI first match, as many as 4,500 police personnel, including 328 traffic police, will be deployed to ensure peaceful conduct of the first one day cricket match being played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium today.

A special control room has been established at Shehbaz Sharif Sports Complex to monitor the security during the cricket match.

Security has also been divided into four zones and each zone will be supervised by a police officer of SP rank. Three-tier security will be provided during the one-day cricket match.

Senior officers will be checking and briefing the security force on the field, snipers have been deployed on the rooftop of the surrounding highrise buildings, while monitoring is being done with Safe City and other CCTV cameras for which a separate control room has been set up.

Additional personnel have been deployed at important public places, special surveillance of bus stands and hotels is being done, police station mobiles, Elite and Dolphin squads are patrolling around the stadium while effective traffic arrangements have been made for the convenience of citizens.

A security and discipline unit had already been established by the police to check the prompt deployment of police forces to their designated locations and ensure the protection of police officers during the May 30 ODI cricket match between Australia and Pakistan.

According to sources, the purpose of making up of “security and discipline unit” was to ensure the security of the police force in the prevailing security situation as the special unit will keep a close cordon around the police force during its transportation, departure and gathering.

The security and discipline unit has been divided into four zones, headed by senior police inspector Luqman Pasha and assisted by Mohammad Irfan, sub- inspector and two police constables.

The special unit will directly report to the SSP Operation – the movement of all the police personnel will be kept secret with alternate routes and timing. “The security of police personnel should be given top priority,” a senior police official said.

Police vehicles should be parked in a more secure place and not without their drivers who should check the vehicle underneath before switching it on. The gunmen will keep on guarding the police force while dropping them on duty points.

“In light of the current security situation and terrorist attacks, it is critical to make police force security foolproof during their movements by closely adhering to SOP,” a senior police officer said, adding that “police have been on high alert”.

More than 3,500 police and 300 traffic police personnel had been deployed to ensure security and smooth flow of traffic during practice sessions of the upcoming ODI cricket match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.During the practice sessions, senior officers had been checking and briefing the security force on the field while police station mobiles, Elite and Dolphin squads were patrolling around the stadium.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2026