Pakistan steps up action on World Cup relocation

Pakistan is suing international cricketing bodies for moving the World Cup 2011 secretariat out of its country and into India, a lawyer said Wednesday.

The move is a further escalation of Pakistan's protest against an International Cricket Council (ICC) decision late last month to strip the country of its 14 matches in the contest over security fears in the troubled Muslim nation.

The ICC also moved the World Cup 2011 secretariat out of Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore to India's financial hub Mumbai and distributed Pakistan's matches to three other host countries -- India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Saturday it was mounting a legal challenge against the ICC decision to move the Pakistan games and on Tuesday said it had written to request international arbitration in the matter.

Co-hosts India will now have 29 matches, including a semi-final and the final, while Sri Lanka will host 12 matches with one-semi-final, and Bangladesh will hold eight matches and the opening ceremony.

PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said Wednesday that a case had also been filed at the civil court in Lahore against the relocation of the World Cup 2011 secretariat.

"We have to fight all out against a decision which is legally flawed and to step up our pressure, we have sued the ICC, IDI (ICC Development International) and the Central Organising Committee World Cup 2011," Rizvi told AFP.

"After our initial arguments the court has summoned the three parties on May 18," the lawyer added.

Rizvi said the ICC Executive Board, which decided to strip Pakistan of its matches, was not entitled to do so.

"The IDI gave the World Cup to four countries... so the ICC Executive Board was not entitled to take a decision on a World Cup move, only the annual general meeting can take such a decision," said Rizvi.

Rizvi said until an ICC dispute committee or the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sports resolve the case, the World Cup secretariat cannot be moved out of Pakistan.

"Pakistan can also claim a relief on the relocation of the secretariat," said the legal adviser.

Pakistan's already dented reputation as a safe sporting venue was left in tatters after attacks by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore on March 3 left seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach wounded and eight policemen dead.

Even before the attacks, foreign teams had refused to tour Pakistan over security fears in a country locked in an increasingly bloody conflict with Taliban and Al-Qaeda extremists.