India remains safe in the eyes of international cricketers despite terror strikes in Mumbai not because of good security but the money-making opportunities it offers to them, feels former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif.
"I think (Australian captain Ricky) Ponting should be honest enough to say that the cricket world needs to express solidarity with India because of its huge commercial market for cricket, it has nothing to do with the security situation," Latif told PTI on Monday.
He said the double standards of teams like Australia have been exposed now as while they had avoided playing in Pakistan for the past 10 years, they were ready to play in India despite the deadly terror strikes in Mumbai.
"It is really terrible the way the International cricket Council and other boards are insisting on having cricket resume in India. What happened in Mumbai was terrible but the fact is that if teams can play in India why not in Pakistan," he questioned.
Latif, who played 37 Tests and 169 one-dayers, said the security situation was the same all over the world.
"Anything can happen anywhere and when teams can accept security assurances from the Indian board and government, why can't they do the same when Pakistan board and government urges them to tour?" he asked.
"The money India is putting into cricket nowadays no one can dare to refuse that. It is greed and nothing else," he added.