ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to send the Pakistan cricket team to India to play in this year`s 50-over World Cup, the Foreign Office said on Sunday but expressed `deep concerns` over security.

`Pakistan has deep concernsaboutthesecurityof its cricket team. We are conveying these concerns to the International Crieket Council and the Indian authorities,` the Foreign Office said in a statement.

`We expect that the full safety and security of the Pakistan Cricket Team will be ensured during its visit to India,` it said.

The World Cup runs from Oct 5 to Nov 19.

Pakistan and India are due to clash on Oct 15 in a high-voltage game in Ahmedabad, the home city of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier expressed reservations over playing in the 130,000-capacity Ahmedabad stadium and in front of a potentially hostile crowd.

The board had even threatened to boycott the World Cup after India ruled out travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to be held from Aug 31 to Sept 17.

After India`s refusal, the Asia Cup was rescheduled on a hybrid model with only four matches in Pakistan and the remaining nine in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan criticised India`s hard-core stance on stalling cricket ties over the 2008 militant attacks on Mumbai. The two countries have not met in a bilateral series since 2012 and only play in multinational events, the last in the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in October 2022.

`Pakistan`s decision shows its constructive and responsible approach vis-avis India`s intransigent attitude, as the latter had refused to send its team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup,` the Foreign Office said.

`Pakistan has consistently maintained that sports should not be mixed with pol-itics. It has, therefore, decided to send its cricket team to India to participate in the Cricket World Cup 2023,` it said.

`Pakistan believes that the state of bilateral relations with India should not stand in the way of fulfilling its international sports-related obligations.

The government decided to send the cricket team to India after the recommendation of a high-profile committee headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, which on Thursday linked the team`s participation with security assurance from the International Cricket Council.

The committee asked the PCB to also request the ICC for a change of venue for the Pakistan-India clash from Ahmadabad because of security concerns.

Sources said the committee`s recommendations were also shared with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who approved them and directed the Foreign Office to allow the national team to play in the World Cup.