Sport Minister Grant Robertson has supported the Black Caps’ charter flight exit from Pakistan but has refused to detail the “credible security threat’’ that compelled New Zealand Cricket to abandon the tour.
New Zealand’s cricketers have left Pakistan aboard a charter flight bound for Dubai, after abandoning their tour on Friday.
The Black Caps were scheduled to fly out of Islamabad Airport around 6pm local time (1am Sunday NZT), Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior said. Local media reported their flight departed after a delay.
A total of 33 in the tour party, including 21 players, received a full police escort to the airport on bulletproof buses, four hours before their scheduled departure.
“A chartered flight came from the United Arab Emirates to collect the New Zealand squad,” a Pakistani official told AFP on Saturday.
Robertson said on Sunday morning the Government supported New Zealand Cricket’s (NZC) decision to abandon the tour.
“As they have said they did so on the basis of security assessments, including by their own security advisors on the ground. There was a credible security threat and NZ Cricket has responded appropriately.”
NZC and the Government have so far refused to talk specifically about the security threat.
“As is normal in situations like this it is not possible or responsible to go into detail around the nature of these threats, but it was credible and had to be taken seriously,’’ Robertson said.
“As the Prime Minister has said we are grateful to the government of Pakistan for keeping the team safe while they have been there, and appreciate how disappointing this decision is for the cricket community in Pakistan.
“However, player safety has to be paramount. We continue to work closely with NZ Cricket to support them and the players.“
The Black Caps departed with a barb from veteran Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Hafeez who posted on Twitter: “Thanks to the secutity of pakistan forces to make arrangements to Black Caps to reach at airport Safe & Sound. Wonder same route & same security but no threat today???”
Pakistan players, fans and officials greeted news of the abandonment with widespread anger as New Zealand Cricket would not reveal more details of the threat which caused them to call off the tour on the day of the first one-day international in Rawalpindi.
NZC said the decision was made, “following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground.”
