The attack on the convoy taking the Sri Lankan cricket team to Gaddafi Stadium on March 3 has essentially ended any hopes of Pakistan staging a major international sporting event for at least the next five years. This also means that the 2011 Cricket World Cup that Pakistan was to co-host with other South Asian countries may well be snatched from us. The ICC has said that barring a 'dramatic change' in the security situation in Pakistan, the country will not host any World Cup matches. Given that some of the Sri Lankan players still got injured despite, what was on paper at least, our best security arrangement, it is difficult to argue against the ICC's position. Therefore, instead of searching for some grand conspiracy against Pakistan, perhaps we should spend this time working hard against the terrorist threat and making Pakistan a safer, better place - most importantly for our citizens, and then also for the foreign nationals. Only then can we ever hope to stage international sporting events again. -SYEDA MAHWISH FATIMA NAQVI, Karachi, via e-mail, March 6.