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While everyone is busy wishing Team India and Pakistan good luck, let’s wish the security personnels as they need it more.
Much has already been talked about the clash of the two ‘Asian Cricketing Powerhouses’; India and Pakistan in the World Cup Semifinal. As the match is still 2 days to go, considering the passion that the fans of both the teams feel during the matches between the arch rivals, it is needless to say that still a lot will be debated and discussed. In the mean time, another team is working silently against all odds to ensure nothing untoward happens during the match; that is the security forces deployed in Mohali. The security personnels need our support and good wishes, in fact more than the cricketers of both the team. They are fighting a deadlier battle than the one cricketers will fight.
Ensuring top class security during World Cup matches is a tough task. This match that is going to be hosted at Mohali is not just a World Cup semifinal but also a match between the traditional rivals India and Pakistan. From the past experience, we can very well predict the mood of the fans those who will be in the stadium watching the match. With an incident like 26/11 in our recent memory, it won’t be surprising if some fans turn hostile during the match. Historically, India Pakistan cricket matches bring high tension, latent hostility with them. Maintaining peace and security inside the stadium under such circumstances becomes very difficult.
This time there are more obstacles against the security guards. Their job is not just to maintain peace and security inside the PCA Stadium but also to secure the whole city of Mohali against any terror strike. As the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not wasted a moment to use the occasion of the Ind0-Pak cricket match for “Cricket Diplomacy” and invited Pakistan PM to watch the match, it puts even more pressure and stress on the security system. While validity and usefulness of using such diplomatic methods during a cricket matches is debatable, but everyone will agree that it increases the pressure on the security system. Even more so when intelligence reports have issued terror threats during World Cup matches. If Intelligence reports are to be believed, terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba, Indian Mujahideen and HUJI could strike during the match. As head of 2 nations will be present in the city of Mohali, the security has to be tightened so that nothing unpleasant happens. Not just in Mohali, security at other important places all over India has to be bolstered as blasts in other place can also ashame India and give it a tag of ‘Unsafe’. As intelligence departments’ reports indicate that some 20-30 terrorists are already inside India planning terror attacks, India can’t take it lightly.
India is not taking any chances and the security cover in Mohali has been strengthened. There are already 1000 security personnel guarding the Taj Hotel where the players of both the team and Match officials are camped. This security cover mostly comprises of commandos from Indian army. Around 2000-3000 highly skilled security personnel will be deployed in and out of the PCA stadium during the match. Media reports say that a total of 48000 security guards have been deployed to man the city and the surrounding area. Anti-aircraft guns are being used for the first time. The area over the Mohali Stadium will be declared as a no-fly zone during the match.
The security masterminds are not taking any chances and an unprecedented security cover has been designed to guard and resist any terror attack. The commandos are working day and night to stop anything unpleasant that will give India a bad name from happening. Let’s wish them good luck in their task as they will ensure the much awaited match happens amidst high security so that the fans can enjoy high quality cricket.
