Steve Smith, the Australian cricket team's premier hitter, arrived in Lahore ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) amid concerns about a public threat by an armed opposition group. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar released a public statement advising overseas players against participating in the PSL, claiming that their'safety cannot be guaranteed'. In the statement, they requested that David Warner, Steve Smith, Daryl Mitchell, and other overseas talents 'withdraw immediately' from the competition. However, in a video that has leaked on social media, Smith can be seen walking through the Lahore airport while surrounded by security personnel.

The group previously stated that while they support cricket, they believe the current security situation in Pakistan makes it unsuitable for hosting a high-profile event with foreign players.We would like to advise the relevant cricket bodies not to send any players to Pakistan. We shall not be held liable if something bad occurs to them. "We've already issued our warning," a Jamaat-ul-Ahrar commander told The Sunday Guardian.
When asked how the group would respond if participants rejected the warning, the commander replied, "We will do everything in our power, but we will not allow the matches to go place. We will do everything we can to disrupt the event and keep the players off the pitch."

According to a reputable source, the PCB is dealing with both player contract breaches and last-minute requests to increase costs due to the unstable situation in the region during the ongoing West Asian crisis.The PCB is currently entirely focused on staging the PSL on time and has not decided on any course of action against overseas players who have withdrawn out for so-called personal reasons or have openly breached their PSL contracts to participate in the IPL," the source added.