ISLAMABAD (AP) — Sri Lanka Cricket has directed its national team to continue its tour to Pakistan despite several players wanting leave because of safety concerns.
A suicide bomber detonated explosives and killed 12 people outside a court in Islamabad on Tuesday, hours before Sri Lanka’s one-day cricket international against Pakistan nearby in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also interior minister in the government, assured the visiting team of strong security during his meeting with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Islamabad on Wednesday. Managers of both the Sri Lanka and Pakistan cricket teams and top security officials attended the session.
Naqvi also visited the Pindi Cricket Stadium and reviewed security arrangements.
Sri Lanka's cricket board issued a statement Wednesday saying that players' security concerns “are being duly addressed in close coordination with the PCB and the relevant authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of every member of the touring party.”
The SLC also said if any player or member of the support staff return home despite its directives, “a formal review will be conducted to assess their actions, and an appropriate decision will be made upon the conclusion of the review.”
It added that replacement players would be sent to Pakistan to ensure that the tour continues without interruption.
Naqvi thanked the Sri Lankan cricket administration for its decision to continue with the tour.
“The spirit of sportsmanship and solidarity shines bright,” Naqvi wrote on X, adding that the remaining two one-day international games have been rescheduled for Friday and Sunday — also in Rawalpindi.
In 2009, a terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team's bus in Lahore led to the suspension of international sport in Pakistan. Foreign cricket teams gradually started returning for tours of Pakistan in 2015.
New Zealand also abandoned a tour to Pakistan hours before a scheduled series-opening game at Rawalpindi in November 2021, citing undisclosed security concerns.
Rawalpindi will also host all the seven games of an upcoming Twenty20 tri-series. The original schedule featured five matches in Lahore, including the Nov. 29 final.
Zimbabwe, which arrived early Thursday, is joining Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tournament which serves as preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup.
The PCB has delayed the tri-series tournament by a day after it rescheduled the ODIs against Sri Lanka. The tri-series now begins Nov. 18 with a game between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
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Sri Lanka's Mahesh Theekshana, centre, and Asitha Fernando, second right, shakes hand with Pakistani players on the end of the first one day international cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
NEW DELHI (AP) — At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.
The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.
Goa’s chief minister, Pramod Sawant, said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.
The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, eyewitnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where tourists were dancing. It said at least 100 people were on the dance floor when the fire broke out and several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff.
Fatima Shaikh, an eyewitness, said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.
The nightclub, located along the Arpora river backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the fire brigades to park their tankers about 400 meters away, the news agency said. The restricted access delayed firefighting efforts, it reported, citing local officials.
Sawant, the state's top elected official who called it an “unfortunate incident during peak tourist season,” said the club had violated fire safety norms. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident to determine the exact cause of the fire and determine responsibility, he said, adding that the government would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite these violations.
Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club as it had no construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.
Regulations are poorly enforced in India where some public sector officials and builders cut corners, leading to safety hazards.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the incident deeply saddening and said he spoke with Sawant about the situation. He said the state government “is providing all possible assistance to those affected” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.
The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.
The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)
