No clearance for BCCI to resume cricket ties with Pakistan

Indian cricket has not yet been given clearance by the government to resume ties with Pakistan, the Pakistan board chairman Zaka Ashraf said on Wednesday

The neighbors have not met in a series since Pakistan visited India in 2007.

Ashraf met with N. Srinivasan, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, in Dubai during an ICC meeting.

"We want to resume cricketing ties with India, but he (Srinivasan) told me that his board is facing problems in getting clearance from the government," Ashraf said.

India was due to play a test series in Pakistan in late 2008 but the tour was aborted after the terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people.

The PCB has been organizing home series at offshore venues since 2009, after gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus at Lahore, killing six police officials and a van driver.

But Ashraf, who took charge in October, is hopeful that Bangladesh will visit Pakistan for a one-day series in April which could help in attracting other foreign teams to tour Pakistan.

A security delegation from Bangladesh is expected to visit Pakistan this month to make assessments.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said it will conduct its own security assessment before sending its match officials to Pakistan for the proposed ODI series.

"If that (tour) happens has not yet come to the table, but (we) have to do security assessment before making the decision," Lorgat said.

The ICC appoints neutral umpires and match referees for international series.