Pakistan's interior minister has invited the England cricket team to tour the country for the first time since 2005, after a successful visit by the West Indies amid improved security boosted hopes of an international revival.
A visit by a major Test-playing nation such as England would be hugely significant, in terms of both cricket as well as Pakistan's wider security and the message it hopes to send about its crackdown on extremism and militancy.
Interior minister Ahsan Iqbal extended the invitation to UK High Comissioner Thomas Drew on Tuesday, urging the international community to recognise the strides Pakistan has made.
"The successful staging of international matches in Pakistan is a clear proof that we have defeated terrorism and extremism," he said, according to an official statement.
Drew said he was already looking forward to "this summer's big cricketing event", Pakistan's upcoming England tour.
"But I also hope that it will not be long before I can welcome an England team to Pakistan," he told AFP Wednesday.
"That really is something to look forward to."
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