KARACHI, Oct 29: Desperate to ensure that India does not back out of the next year’s tour to Pakistan owing to security fears, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is meeting top government officials to start the groundwork for the series, which is still a couple of months away.

Director-general Saleem Altaf said on Wednesday that he was confident that India would go ahead with the tour as it has confirmed the itinerary.

Saleem revealed India would be sending a security delegation before the tour as part of a routine exercise to coordinate logistical arrangements with the host board and government. “But we are confident the Indians will fulfill their obligation as the tour is part of the future tours programme of the ICC,” he stated.

India are due to play a three-day game in Hyderabad and then Tests in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi on the tour besides five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 game.

Saleem said he would be visiting Rawalpindi soon to inspect the construction work going on at the Pindi Cricket Stadium that was rejected as a venue by the ICC for the now-postponed Champions Trophy.

The ICC had serious concerns about security cover around the Pindi stadium for the Champions Trophy.

Sources in the board said that even the Indian board would eventually have problems playing in Rawalpindi, which is the twin city of capital Islamabad where several bomb blasts have taken place in recent times.

—Agencies