By IANS
Mohali (Punjab) : Nearly 150 cricket buffs from Pakistan have arrived here to watch the one-day international (ODI) match between India and Pakistan Thursday.
They crossed the Wagah-Attari border between the two countries near Amritsar, 300 km from here, and were brought here Wednesday night in special buses under heavy police protection.
Security agencies here are keeping a close watch on the movement of the Pakistani fans following the experience in March 2005 when about 10 Pakistani fans went missing after coming to watch a Test match here. Six of these Pakistanis are still untraceable.
The small number of Pakistani fans this time is being attributed to strict visa restrictions by India and also uncertainty in their country following imposition of emergency there last week.
They did not get the generally warm welcome on the Indian side of the border due to latest developments in their own country. It was only at Chandigarh, 10 km from here — where they were taken for their names to be registered at a police station — that they got a welcome from locals known to them.
The Indian government has refused a visa to Pakistan Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed who too wanted to come and watch one of the matches.