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Sahara Cup is definitely out this year, says sponsor

The Sahara India Parivar, which backed out from hosting the fourth edition of the India-Pakistan limited-overs cricket tournament at Toronto, Canada, in September in the wake of the Kargil conflict, has made it clear that the company has no second thoughts on the decision.

"We shall definitely not go for it and I humbly request everybody not to create pressure on us," the company's 'managing worker' and chairman Subrata Roy said.

He was responding to International Cricket Council president Jagmohan Dalmiya's statement that India and Pakistan should not snap cricketing ties when diplomatic and communication links between them still exist.

"We are certainly amazed at Mr Dalmiya's comments," he said, referring to newspaper reports on July 29 quoting the ICC president as saying that the Sahara Group spoke out of turn by announcing cancellation of the event.

In a statement in New Delhi, Roy said his company was "extremely pained" by Dalmiya reportedly saying that "probably Sahara was talking beyond its ambit".

"Could it be out of anybody's ambit to mourn for the people who have died by clearly giving us the definition of true love towards their countrymen? It is unfortunate that a responsible personality like Mr Dalmiya has publicly expressed such thoughts," Roy observed.

Maintaining that organising cricket tourneys meant entertainment and lucre unlike maintaining bilateral ties, he said, "Sahara shall be most benefited commercially if the cup is played as it would amount to a Kargil cricket war and will be watched by each and every person in our country. But we shall definitely not go for it."

UNI