Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told parliament in a live broadcast that Army Chief Asim Munir had personally assured Sri Lankan Defence Minister Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon of the team’s safety.
“Our army and paramilitary are deployed for the Sri Lankan team’s security,” Naqvi said.
He added that the Sri Lankan players had raised serious concerns about remaining in Pakistan after the bombing, but these fears had been addressed. “The Sri Lankan president personally spoke to the team yesterday and encouraged them to continue playing,” he noted.
Both the cricket stadium and the hotel housing the Sri Lankan team are located less than 10 kilometres from the blast site.
On Wednesday, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board said several players had requested to return home after the attack, the first major assault on civilians in Islamabad in ten years.
Pakistan issues ‘foolproof’ guarantees
The board directed the squad to stay, saying that Pakistan’s authorities had provided comprehensive “foolproof” security guarantees. It did not respond to further questions on Thursday. Players who chose to leave early would reportedly face a formal review of their conduct.
The suicide bombing outside an Islamabad court on Tuesday killed 12 people and injured 27, making it one of the capital’s deadliest attacks in years. Militants also raided a military-run school in Wana, killing three people before being shot dead by security forces.
Pakistan accused militants operating from Afghanistan and hinted at possible Indian involvement—claims that both Kabul and New Delhi have denied. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described the situation as placing the country in a “state of war”.
The renewed violence has evoked painful memories of the 2009 Lahore attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team, which left six players injured and halted international cricket in Pakistan for nearly a decade. During that period, Pakistan was forced to host home fixtures in the United Arab Emirates.
Improved security conditions in recent years have allowed international teams to return, with Sri Lanka notably resuming Test cricket in Pakistan in 2019.
Sri Lanka are currently playing a three-match one-day series in Rawalpindi, followed by a Twenty20 tri-series featuring Zimbabwe.