THREATS from a leading fundamentalist party have forced Pakistani women cricketers to abandon a match scheduled for today in Karachi against a team of veteran male players.
The Jammat-e-Islami party had warned the Pakistan Women Cricket Control Association of "dire consequences" if it went ahead with the match, which it termed "un-Islamic activity".
"Jammat-e-Islami will not allow the holding of any match that is detrimental to the Islamic identity of the country," warned a statement issued by local party chief, Naimatullah ullah Khan.
A PWCCA team had been scheduled to play for the first time against former Test players at Karachi's 50,000-capacity National Stadium. The association now intends to replace it with a match between women teams.
Protesting at the Jamaat warning, Hilda Saeed of Women Action Forum said, "It is ridiculous... When women can play in other Islamic countries, why can't it happen in Pakistan?"
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