Australian cricket team star batter Steve Smith arrived in Lahore ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) amid concerns surrounding a public threat from an armed opposition group.

Australian cricket team star batter Steve Smith arrived in Lahore ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) amid concerns surrounding a public threat from an armed opposition group. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar issued a public statement warning overseas cricketers against taking part in the PSL and even claimed that ther 'safety cannot be guaranteed'. In the statement, they asked David Warner, Steve Smith, Daryl Mitchell and other overseas stars to 'withdraw immediately' from the competition. However, in a video that has surfaced on social media, Smith was seen making his way through the Lahore airport while being surrounded by security personnel. 

Earlier, the group claimed they are not opposed to cricket as a sport, but argued that the prevailing security situation in Pakistan is unsuitable for staging a high-profile tournament involving international players.

"We want to advise the relevant cricket boards not to send their players to Pakistan. If something happens to them, it will not be our responsibility. We have already issued our warning," a commander of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar told The Sunday Guardian.

When asked how the group would respond if players ignored the warning, the commander added, "We will do whatever is in our capacity, but we will not let the matches happen. We will do our best to ensure that the tournament is disrupted and the players do not take to the field."

Meanwhile, according to a reliable source, the PCB is grappling not only with players breaching contracts but also with last-minute demands from some to raise their fees due to the fragile situation in the region amid the ongoing West Asian conflict.

"The PCB is right now totally focussed on hosting the PSL on schedule and have not decided on any course of action against overseas players who have pulled out for so called personal reasons or have openly breached their PSL contracts to go to the IPL,” the source said.