Pakistan sues cricket bodies

PAKISTAN is suing international cricketing bodies for moving the World Cup 2011 secretariat out of its country and into India, a lawyer said Wednesday.

The move is a further escalation of Pakistan's protest against an International Cricket Council (ICC) decision late last month to strip the country of its 14 matches in the contest over security fears in the troubled Muslim nation.

The ICC also moved the World Cup 2011 secretariat out of Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore to India's financial hub Mumbai and distributed Pakistan's matches to three other host countries - India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Pakistan's already dented reputation as a safe sporting venue was left in tatters after attacks by gunmen on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in Lahore on March 3 left seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach wounded and eight policemen dead.