International Cricket Council chairman Ehsan Mani denied that he is in Delhi to help sort out ticklish issues regarding the Pakistan cricket team's tour of India.
Speaking to rediff.com at hotel Taj Palace, which was also the venue for the Board for Control of Cricket in India's working committee meeting, Mani said his trip to Delhi was merely coincidental and nothing should be read into his presence in the city when the Indian and Pakistani boards are locking horns over the playing a Test in Ahmedabad.
"I had come here [Delhi] to meet Mr P Chidambaram, Finance Minister of India. He was kind enough to give us [BCCI president Ranbir Singh Mahendra, former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, Member of Parliament Rajiv Shukla and Mani]) time for a meeting. We requested him to give us tax exemption for the ICC tournament in 2006. We gave him examples of other cricket-playing nations doing the same and he said that he would look into the matter," Mani explained.
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He confirmed that Mahendra had spoken with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan in his presence but denied that the PCB chairman had given an assurance regarding an additional one-day match at Ahmedabad.
"The PCB chairman merely stated the position of the PCB that they would not play a Test match in Ahmedabad. But I am hopeful that things would be sorted out and the PCB would show flexibility in accommodating the Indian request," Mani said.
He defended Pakistan's decision of not playing in Ahmedabad on security grounds.
"In such matters, politics and security concerns cannot be separated. India too had refused to play in Karachi and Peshwar," he pointed out, but denied that Pakistan is deliberately delaying its decision in order to settle scores.
