Two former Pakistan captains, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Imran Khan, have urged the Indian team to go ahead with their tour in January. Inzamam was not in favour of the tour being called off. “In fact all said and done cricket has always served as a good tool to lower temperatures between the two nations in the past whenever relations have been tense or strained,” Inzamam told the News.

He also said it would be a setback for the subcontinent if India decided not to play in Pakistan. “When these two neighbouring countries can’t play against each other then why should we expect other teams to come and play in the subcontinent? That is why I feel England took the right decision to return to India.”

Imran Khan believed Indian players would be safe in Pakistan, and said they should take a cue from England's decision to return to India for the ongoing series. "Sportsmen are in absolutely no danger from terrorist attacks, I've always maintained that," he said while speaking on BBC's Sportsweek programme on Radio Five Live.

"Yes, the atmosphere would be tense and not as friendly as when India toured previously. But cricketers, of all sportsmen, would never be attacked by terrorists simply because the public opinion would turn against whoever the terrorists are.

"Remember, terrorists rely on public opinion and winning the hearts and minds of the people,” he said. “They want to be considered freedom fighters rather than terrorists. If they are perceived as terrorists by the masses, then they have lost. So in my opinion, they would not target cricketers ever."

Rashid Latif, the former Pakistan captain, has urged the country’s players to quit the IPL and ICL as a response to accusations by the Indian government that the terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks had Pakistani links.

“At a time when India is hurling baseless accusations at Pakistan, I don’t think our cricketers should go there and play in the leagues,” Latif was quoted as saying in the Pakistan daily News. “I know it’s very important for a cricketer to play in professional leagues and the Indian contests are excellent platforms but there are times when you have to sacrifice everything for the sake of your country.”

India’s tour to Pakistan has been put in doubt after reports emerged that the Indian government wanted to take a tougher stance against Pakistan in the wake of the attacks in Mumbai. Latif said it was important for the two countries to maintain peace and for the teams to continue playing each other. “As a cricket fan, I hope India come here for [next year’s] series. But unfortunately, it seems highly unlikely in the current circumstances.”