Champs League tour to India

Following Mumbai’s terror strikes killing more than 100 people, Cricket Australia has reportedly suspended plans for the Victorian and West Australian sides, besides other Test stars, to fly out to India for the Champions League Twenty20 competition beginning December 3.

The Aussies were scheduled to stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel, which was one of the prime targets of the terrorists.

The players, including Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, his brother David, Peter Siddle, Cameron White, Shane Warne and Shane Watson were due to arrive in India over the next week for the Champions League, of which some matches are to be played in Mumbai.

Middlesex had already pulled out of the tournament. Its captain Shaun Udal said on Wednesday the English county would not be traveling to Mumbai as planned following the attacks. The team were due to fly to Mumbai on Thursday for the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League, but former England off-spinner Udal was quoted as saying: “All we know is our flight has been cancelled in the morning.”

The Victorian side was due to check into the Taj Hotel, which was stormed by gunmen in the strikes, and members were due to arrive there Friday and Saturday. “We need to review at least some of our travel plans. We were due to fly to Mumbai and stay at the Taj but at this stage we are taking advice from Cricket Australia whose security people are reviewing the situation,” The Australian quoted Victorian spokesman Eivion Bowen as saying.

Cricket Australia said it had placed a temporary halt to the tour. One of spokesman said: “Given the circumstances Cricket Australia has put an immediate hold on any cricket related travel to India. We are in ongoing contact with DFAT, our own security expert in India, the Australian Cricketers Association and our own playing groups and stake holders. In circumstances like these it always takes 12 hours for clear details to emerge and we will continue to monitor the situation for now.”

PrimeMinister speaks with Iran

As part of stepped-up diplomatic offensive to get Pakistan to act against perpetraors of Mumbai
terror attacks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night (December 27) spoke to Iranian President Ahmednijad and is understood to have asked him to pressure Islamabad to do more to end cross-border terrorism.

Singh conveyed to Ahmednijad that Pakistan has to take concrete action to stop cross-border terror and by being in denial mode would not help.The Prime Minister is understood to have told the Iranian leader that India has so far exercised restraint and asked him to presssure Pakistan to take concrete action against handlers of those who carried out the Mumbai terror attacks last month.

The telephonic conversation between Singh and Ahmednijad came a day after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to his Iranian counterpart Manounchehr Mottaki on the issue.

Mukherjee had also spoken to his counterparts from the US, China and Saudi Arabia over phone and told them that India has “ample evidence” about involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the Mumbai strikes and that they should to put pressure on Islamabad to act against them.

Pak troop build-up reports worrying

In the face of escalating tension between India and Pakistan, the United States has reacted with concern to reports that Pakistan was massing troops along India’s border. U.S. military leaders have been urging both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint. U.S. intelligence and military officials were still trying to determine if the reported troop movements were true.

A key concern for U.S. officials is that some of those troops may have been stationed along the volatile Afghan border, and were being diverted to the Indian side.”We urge both sides will avoid taking steps that will unnecessarily raise tensions during these already tense times,” said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

US military leaders have been urging both India and Pakistan to exercise restraint in the wake of the Mumbai attacks that many believe originated with Pakistan-based militants.US intelligence and military officials were still trying to determine if the reported troop movements were true, and, if so, what Pakistan’s intent may be. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

One senior military official today said that the US is monitoring the issue, but still could not confirm assertions from Pakistani intelligence officials that some 20,000 troops were on the move, heading to the Indian border.

A key concern for US officials is that some of those troops may have been stationed along the volatile Afghan border, and were being diverted to the Indian side. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Mullen, who have both been in the region in recent weeks, have expressed the hope that Pakistan would stay focused on fighting militants in its mountainous northwestern areas.

There was also no indication today that either Gates or Mullen had reached out to their counterparts in Pakistan since these latest reports had surfaced.Johndroe added that, “We continue to be in close contact with both countries to urge closer cooperation in investigating the Mumbai attacks and in fighting terrorism generally.”