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NEW DELHI, Jan 31: India is planning to set up visa camps in major Pakistani cities to help cricket fans across the border visit the country for the upcoming series between the two countries , a Board of Control for Cricket in India official said on Monday.
BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said Indian foreign ministry had given assurances that it would seek to set up visa camps in cities like Lahore and Karachi as a large number of Pakistanis are expected to visit India for the series.
"The ministry has assured us of full cooperation. Besides visa camps in major cities, the government may run special trains and flights between the two countries during the series," Mr. Shukla was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying.
He said as many as 10,000 Pakistanis could throng Mohali near Chandigarh for one of the Test matches while Delhi, venue for a One-dayer, could see about 5000 such fans. Pakistan, playing in India after a gap of six years were last here in 1999.
They are scheduled to play three Tests and five One-dayers. Although the BCCI has named the venues for the series, the dates are yet to be finalised. Mohali, Ahmedabad and Bangalore are to host the Test matches while the One-dayers will be held in Kochi, Visakhapatnam, Kanpur, Jamshedpur and Delhi.
APP ADDS: A two-member PCB delegation ended their week-long visit on Monday after visiting all three Test centres and three of the five one-day venues.
PCB official Zakir Khan and security expert Sohail Khan, who did not visit Kochi and Visakhapatnam due to a lack of time, will submit their report to PCB chairman Shahrayar Khan later this week.
"It has been a very informative visit," said Khan, but declined to say if he had reservations on any of the proposed venues, especially Ahmedabad. The tour passed off peacefully with Sourav Ganguly's Indians winning both the Test and one-day series.
