The Indian cricket team will go ahead with its tour of Pakistan, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said in New Delhi on Saturday.

Sinha was speaking to reporters after attending a meeting convened by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to discuss the team's Pakistan tour. Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and Finance Minister Jaswant Singh were also present at the meeting.

"After taking into consideration all aspects, it was decided that the two countries should go ahead with their cricket matches as proposed," Sinha said.

Regarding the dates of the matches, Sinha said it is for the Board of Control for Cricket in India to take a decision in consultation with its counterpart in Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan hailed the Indian government's decision to go ahead with the series.

"It is a positive announcement. We were never in doubt about India's tour. The Indian government has taken a very responsible decision," he said.

Reacting to Sinha's statement on Saturday morning, Khan said though he had not been intimated officially about the decision, the PCB was reacting to reports in the media.

Khan had earlier stated that the confidence-building measures between India and Pakistan would be severely dented if the proposed tour is postponed.

On Saturday, he told rediff.com  he did not threaten but merely spoke about the fall out of the cancellation of the tour.

"I did not say that the entire peace process would be derailed; but it would have suffered a serious blow,"Khan said.

The Indian government has objected to hosting matches in Peshawar and Karachi but Khan refused to discuss the possibility of shifting venues.

"We are going ahead with the tour as scheduled. The two Boards share a brilliant rapport with each other and I am sure we will settle the issue amicably."

There are indications that Prime Minister Vajpayee gave the go ahead for the tour despite strong reservations expressed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the security environment in Pakistan.

According to sources, the government took the decision after Pakistan threatened that cancellation of the tour or its postponement would amount to not implementing the confidence building measures agreed upon by the two countries recently.

A three-member team of BCCI is currently touring Pakistan and looking into the security arrangements.

The team comprises BCCI joint-secretary Ratnakar Shetty, director media relations Amrit Mathur and Yashowardhan Azad, Inspector General, intelligence, Ministry of Home Affairs.

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