Thread by @misterzedpk

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27 Jun 2021: NZ Cricket Chief Executive David White said that their team would tour Pakistan but only 'if security arrangements are satisfied'
Source: archive.is/ShL6k

01 Jul 2021: PCB Board of Governors are briefed about engagements with foreign consultants Restrata (UK) and ESI Risk (Australia/UAE).
Archived: archive.is/X1eTd

18 Jul 2021: Kiwi cricketing legend Glenn Turner writes a letter for a local newspaper, voicing ‘concerns’ about the Black Caps touring Pakistan. Turner paints Pakistan as an unstable state at risk of terrorist resurgence.
Source: archive.is/k6CtX

21 Aug 2021: Abhinandan Mishra of Sunday Guardian Live writes a report of threats to Black Caps quoting Ehsanullah Ehsan and unspecified 'sources' in Afg and Pak. Claims contacting ICC and NZ Cricket for comments.
Sources: archive.is/hb2LY, archive.is/WBL9m

23 Aug 2021: ESI Risk Managing Director Reg Dickason and General Manager David Snare visit Lahore to review security arrangements.
Source: archive.vn/jpDKf

17 Sep 2021, early morning: Black Caps announce cancellation of tour to Pakistan
Source: archive.is/lqrFw

17 Sep 2021 @ 11:04am GMT: Iain Cundy, CEO of Section 20 Solutions (UK) speculates that NZ Cricket may have cancelled their tour based on intel from Five Eyes. Was responding to a tweet by ESPN Cricinfo Senior Correspondent George Dobell.
Source: archive.is/LVsZj

17 Sep 2021 @ 11:05am GMT: Daily Mail sports columnist Lawrence Booth (also editor of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack) claims that his newspaper “understands” that the cancellation “followed information from Five Eyes”.
Source: archive.is/xy3pU

17 Sep 2021 @ 2:09pm GMT: Urdu content on alleged Five Eyes conspiracy behind Black Caps’ series cancellation is authored by a Twitter handle “True Journalizm”. Individual identified as “Subhan Akhtar” (precise identifiable details withheld).
Source: archive.is/0Af5d

17 Sep 2021 @ 2:25pm GMT: Subhan’s tweets published as a blog on a website ‘Jabbli Views’, registered just a month ago (August 2021) and managed by sympathisers of Darul Uloom Haqqania Akora Khattak and PTI.
Source: archive.is/xXqrp

17 Sep 2021 @ 2:47pm GMT: Advisory dated 13 Sep 2021 from CPO Rawalpindi tweeted by Asad Mirza, a member of pro-PMLN 'Leo TV’:
Source: archive.is/ImYaX

17 Sep 2021 @ 5:10pm GMT: New Zealand Herald publishes report by Niall Anderson. He claims that reports about increased threats were escalated by the NZ government.
Source: archive.vn/jD62S

17 Sep 2021 @ 5:28pm GMT: Advisory leak from CPO Lahore dated 17 Sep 2021 tweeted by Muhammad Amin Tahir (Baaghi TV)
Source: archive.is/izouS

18 Sep 2021 @ 5:20am GMT: Niall Anderson publishes follow-up report on tour cancellation for New Zealand Herald. Attributes claims of Five Eyes involvement to “overseas media”. By then, only Lawrence Booth/ Daily Mail (UK) had made this claim.
Source: archive.vn/rZo8q

18 Sep 2021 @ 1:37pm GMT: State-owned Radio New Zealand publishes report by Jordan Bond. New threat notified by Min of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Incl comments by intel min Andrew Little. Weightage given more to assessments by local spy agency.
Source: archive.is/BgI7B

19 and 20 Sep 2021: PCB CEO Wasim Khan claims that ESI Risk’s Reg Dickason had claimed involvement of Five Eyes in sending a revised threat report to NZ Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson.
Sources: archive.is/EMn5t, archive.is/rdMWs

Context: Dickason is a sports security veteran, having been in this industry since 1996. His company, ESI Risk, has a portolio of clients including England Cricket Board, PCB, NZ Cricket, Cricket Australia and Cricket Ireland.

Dickason had played a crucial role in the planning for World XI series in Pakistan (2017) and the success of PSL 2018.
Source: archive.is/tkble

However, several months before he was roped in by the PCB to green-light arrangements for PSL 2018, Dickason was using the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) to advise against holding PSL in Pakistan.
Source: archive.is/67dus

Dickason’s criticism stopped once he was contracted by the PCB in the first half of 2017.
Source: archive.is/p95ic

Regarding ‘Five Eyes’, the alliance persists but has cornered New Zealand in particular for its growing relations with China. This led to New Zealand’s exclusion from a new AUKUS alliance focused against China.

Five Eyes focus mainly on high-value targets in the political and military realms. Revelations by Snowden and other researchers suggests that China and Russia remain the most dominant subjects of interest.

Five Eyes members primarily collect intel from specified geo-zones. Only US, UK have reportedly focused on Middle East while Australia covers South Asia. Canada and NZ don’t focus on those regions.
Source: archive.is/eJJqS

New Zealand’s government said it is “uncomfortable” using the Five Eyes intelligence grouping to criticise China, will not accept being “dictated” on its dealings
Sources: archive.is/1SuvK, archive.is/7UtSb

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, when asked if she was invited to the AUKUS arrangement, responded, “We weren’t approached, nor would I expect us to be.”
Source: archive.is/pRHLH

On 21 Sep 2021, UK High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, said his government did not advise England against the tour to Pakistan, and that it was a decision by the ECB, an independent body.
Source: archive.is/YAgcW

As of 21 Sep 2021, travel advisories of Five Eyes members on Pakistan:-

US: Reconsider travel…due to terrorism and sectarian violence (archive.is/qg9aA)
Canada: High degree of caution (archive.is/vEHuM)

(contd)

UK: High threat of terrorism, kidnap and sectarian violence (archive.is/KZTAP)
Australia: Threat of (terrorist) attack remains very high (archive.is/JEvvM)
NZ: Ongoing and significant threat from terrorism (archive.is/wip/W4CRa)

The only actual reports of any ‘Five Eyes’ involvement comes from Daily Mail (UK), which itself claims it only “understands” such a predicament (no certainty). The other major source is a report in New Zealand Herald.

While mainstream media, including in Pakistani, based its reporting about Five Eyes’ involvement on New Zealand Herald (which itself cites “overseas media reports”), the conspiracy theory mill began in Urdu language from noon of 17 Sep 2021 in Pakistan.

Many of these fantastically-absurd theories claim that the Five Eyes alliance sabotaged the match as ‘vengeance’ for defeat in Afghanistan.

The facts proffer that New Zealand had significant social and economic stakes invested in its matches with Pakistan and doesn’t really enjoy a healthy relationship with the alliance.

Moreover, if the Five Eyes was indeed behind this effort, the UK’s GCHQ would have asked the FCDO to update security advisories in general for its citizens in Pakistan, which they did not. Per Turner, the Crown was not involved in ECB’s decision to withdraw.

Canadian, American and British forces, among others, have thanked Pakistan for allowing a safe transit out of Afghanistan. To suggest that establishments of those same countries would suddenly begin scheming to ‘take revenge’ on Pakistan is unsubstantiated.

Many countries have played in Pakistan over the past years including Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

While the about-turns by England and New Zealand are indeed symbolic blows, they cannot be proportionately compared to the successes achieved through hosting five other teams mentioned above.

Unless, of course, our criteria for success is the presence of people from a white-majority country.

It began with Glenn Turner, was catalysed by Abhinandan Mishra and has been exaggerated by Lawrence Booth.

Until and unless the Government of Pakistan can demand access to updated classified intel reports from 16-17 Sep 2021, held by the NZ government, nothing can be said with certainty. As a host country, Pakistan has the right to know.

[End]

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Correction: 18 Aug 2021*