Pakistan team security at World Cup 2023 in India: Tight but not oppressive

Around midday, supporters were swarming the Usmanpura, Ahmedabad, intersection beneath the Ashram Road flyover, seeking to find a cab or the closest Metro station to get to the Narendra Modi Stadium.

On October 14, there were still a few hours before the highly anticipated match versus Pakistan when the on-duty police unexpectedly sprang into action and halted vehicles nearing the turn to the left. A few minutes afterward, everyone was awakened by the sound of sirens as the Pakistani team bus pulled out of the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Aside from an ambulance, the cavalcade also had a few more police cars with lightbars attached on their roofs in the front and back. It passed quickly, but it caused traffic to wait for an additional five or so minutes.

No fake buses or tinted glass panes were used to conceal the players' identities. This was in a location that Pakistan had been hesitant to play at even before the fixtures were revealed, and they had even considered conducting a reconnaissance trip before coming.

Although the Pakistani team's security has been strict at this World Cup, the players haven't felt overly restrained. The team even went out to eat in Hyderabad and Bangalore, even though the public was not allowed to enter the eateries they had selected.

However, Ahmedabad had different circumstances. The Hyatt Regency, where Babar Azam's men had spent four days, was kept off-limits to the general public due to the delicate nature of the situation. The hotel only let normal visitors to stay on the floors set aside for the players, support staff, and security.

Entry was refused to journalists even with official accreditation. The night before their confrontation with India, Babar remarked, "We have been restricted to the hotel here because of security."

In most of the venues the team has played thus far, the hotels have remained closed to the general public. Only a few guests have been allowed to stay while the Pakistani players are present, and the staff have all undergone screening.

There were no armed NSG or RAF officers stationed on stadium roofs, but Pakistan's training exercises in Ahmedabad were closely monitored by staff from the special branch and the local police, who worked together to make sure everything went according to plan.

Both teams' net practices were held in an area next to the main stadium that was completely obscured from view, even from a distance, by a thick black material. Scaling the highest tiers of the galleries was the only way to catch a glimpse of the players during practice.

In cities like Bangalore and Chennai, where their bowling and batting could be safely observed from the lower deck of the stands, it wasn't too bad. That is standard procedure for all teams at those locations. Outsiders were prohibited from training sessions in Hyderabad, the site of Pakistan's first-ever match played in India since 2016.

Prior to the team's departure, Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chief, stated, "The BCCI had assured the ICC that all teams will be provided the best security." The majority of teams competing in the World Cup, including Pakistan, have been flying on hired aircraft. They are not being swept off the tarmac themselves; instead, they are leaving the airports via the standard method. Naturally, while the players are present, passenger movement is observed.

Nonetheless, the PCB lodged a complaint on crowd behavior in Ahmedabad with the International Cricket Council. During the toss, Captain Babar was jeered, and footage that went viral on social media revealed people chanting "Jai Shri Ram" at Mohammad Rizwan after he was fired. Additionally, the PCB has reported that Hasan Ali was subjected to similar cries of taunts while fielding.

Yashovardhan Jha Azad, a former IPS officer who served as the Intelligence Bureau's special director, believes that because there isn't a threat of terrorism, security hasn't been oppressive this time.

"The difference between India performing in Pakistan and Pakistan performing in India is immense. The highest level gave us a presidential grade of security in 2004 and 2006 based on the threat profile, and certainly, we went through very difficult, even terrifying, moments. No problems like that here,” security adviser Azad told this newspaper, accompanying the team on those tours.

Azad traveled to India with the Pakistani team in 1998–1999 and 2004–2005.

"Hyperbolizing security is unnecessary. It ought to be a typical workout. The threats we faced in Karachi in 2004 were appalling. He remarked, "It was terrible, and getting the crew out of there was a nightmare.

On that tour, in addition to having at least two spare buses for whenever the team moved out of the hotel, there were plans in place for helicopters to evacuate the squad from the stadium itself in the event of an emergency.

"I continue to be cautious about India playing in Pakistan." Too great a risk... Additionally, Azad stated, "We ought to honor the martyrs who died in Kashmir."

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.