Islamabad, March 29: Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik, already embroiled in controversy for having declared that Pakistani players are under surveillance for matchfixing, on Monday advised the players to stay away from strangers in Mohali, in view of a threat of a conspiracy against the team, Geo News reported.
He said that the whole nation stood behind the Pakistani cricket team.
Talking to media outside the Parliament House, Rehman Malik said that Pakistani players always played for Pakistan, adding that he only wanted to save them from becoming a victim of any possible conspiracy.
A furious Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi had complained to the Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani about Malik's statement in Karachi that Pakistani players were under surveillance in view of what happened in London (read spotfixing).
The Prime Minister then asked his Interior Minister to speak to Afridi. Rehman Malik rang up the Pakistani skipper to explain that he was only cautioning the players to remain away from matchfixers and he had full confidence in the Pakistani players.
