NEW DELHI, Jan 22: Besieged by condemnation from political friends and foes and beefed up security by the Indian government, Shiv Sena has suspended its threat to disrupt the Pakistan cricket team's tour of India hours before the Pakistan squad led by Wasim Akram flew in here yesterday evening.
The Shiv Sena's dramatic reversal of stand, coming a day after party supremo Ball Thackeray thundered that its activists would thwart the Pakistani tour, was brought off by a request from Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who earlier declared that his government would ensure smooth conduct of the Indo-Pak Test and one-day series beginning tomorrow.
Vajpayee's request was conveyed by his cabinet colleague and Home Minister L K Advani who flew to Bombay and met Thackeray on an unscheduled and unusual mission Wednesday morning.
Advani and Thackeray met for an hour at a hotel near Bombay airport after which a joint statement was read out by Vajpayee confidant and Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan who announced the Sena's suspension of the threat for only this year.
Mahajan informed media persons that Thackeray told Advani that he was a cricket lover and could not oppose the game as such. But he was concerned about Pakistan's violence in Jammu and Kashmir and ISI-sponsored subversion in other parts of India.
While sports circles in India heaved sigh of relief following Shiv Sena's suspension of threat, Advani's meeting with Thackeray Wednesday drew sharp reaction from major opposition parties which dubbed it as Vajpayee government's ``capitulation'' to radical forces.
Former Prime Minister V P Singh said the meeting shows ``where the centre of power lies'' while the Congress said ``Advani went down on his knees and prostrated before Thackeray to get him to withdraw his threat to disrupt the matches.''
The Left parties accused the Vajpayee government of going ``soft'' on Shiv Sena's ``open defiance of law'' and said Advani's meeting with Thackeray was ``nothing but appeasement,''
The opposition parties were cautious in taking Sena's suspension of the threat at face value and asked the government not to lax the top-gear security already mounted for the Indo-Pak Test series.
Mounting pressure on the Vajpayee government from its allies, including Trinamool Congress, AIADMK, Akali Dal and Telugu Desam, and the opposition and fears of international embarrassments promoted the Prime Minister to send Advani to Thackeray to buy peace.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee had asked Vajpayee to dismiss Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra State (where BJP shares power with Sena) and suggested BJP snap ties with Thackeray's party.
The Telegu Desam Party led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister had suggested to Vajpayee to consider sacking the Sena government in Maharashtra if it persisted with the threat to disrupt the Pakistani tour while AIADMK chief Jayalalitha wanted the arrest of Shiv Sena workers out to foil the series.
The Shiv Sena threat found its first concrete expression when the pitch at Delhi's Ferozshah Kotla Stadium was dug up on January 6 prompting the Indian government to clamp unprecedented security in and around the stadia in eight states where the Pakistani team is scheduled to play matches against India and Sri Lanka in the coming weeks.
Despite Shiv Sena's suspension of threat, the Indian government is not taking any chances as far as the security for the tour was concerned.
Indian Home Secretary B P Singh said there would be no let-up in security arrangements made for smooth holding of the cricket matches under which all stadia would be handed over to the police 48 hours ahead of start of matches and central security teams would escort the teams wherever they travel.
Tightest security cover has also been put on the hotels where the teams would stay and police would be deployed on routes from hotels to the stadia. Sten-gun carrying security personnel would accompany the players' vehicles for practice sessions before the matches.
The Pakistan team starts its tour with a three-day match against India 'A' team at Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh state before the First Test which begins in Madras from January 28.
The Second Test is slated to be held in Delhi on February 4 while India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka play a triangular limited overs competition spread over different cities. The three countries will also figure in the first-ever Test championship of Asia to be held in Calcutta in March after the Tests and limited-over matches.
Meanwhile, manager of Pakistan team Sharyar Khan, former foreign secretary of that country, told reporters on arrival at Delhi that ``we are here to honour India's invitation and to promote good relations between the two countries. This tour is not merely about winning and losing matches but about bringing the people of the two countries together.''
Responding to a question relating to Shiv Sena's threat, the seasoned diplomat said, ``We were coming irrespective of whether the threats were withdrawn or not.''
Advani met Pakistani players and officials at their New Delhi hotel apparently to assure them of adequate security during their stay in India.
The Indian team flew into Calcutta yesterday after a tour of New Zealand. As a precaution, cricket authorities had changed plans to have the team touch down in Bombay and kept the destination secret before arrival.