Security concerns stopped foreign cricketers from touring Pakistan four years ago when the domestic Twenty20 tournament was launched, forcing organisers to stage the event on neutral turf in the United Arab Emirates.
When the 2020 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts in Karachi on Thursday, Darren Sammy of the West Indies and Shane Watson of Australia will be among 36 foreign cricketers involved in the six franchises.
"Foreign players coming is a huge bonus for us," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Executive Wasim Khan told the Associated Press. "It is a massive step forward because they clearly believe that it's safe to be here for four to five weeks."
The return of international cricket has been a slow process following an attack on the Sri Lankan team's bus in Lahore during a test series in 2009.
For this T20 event, the PCB has worked with the Federation of International Cricketers Association and also shared its security plans with foreign stars to make them feel safe.
"We firmly believe that we are in a good position,” Wasim said. "We're delighted there are so many players coming here and its a great endorsement for us as a country."
Cricket went into isolation for more than six years after the attack near Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in 2009.
There was a ray of hope in 2015 when Zimbabwe toured for a limited-overs series but it was not enough for Pakistan to host its first PSL tournament the following year,.
In 2017, the PSL final was played at a packed Gaddafi Stadium, in stark contrast to the group-stage matches that were contested in mostly empty venues in the UAE.
Over the next two years, Sri Lanka and the West Indies also played limited-overs matches in the country, and more PSL games were staged in Lahore and Karachi.
The PCB overcame another barrier when it hosted test matches last year in Pakistan for the first time in a decade. Pakistan successfully hosted two tests against Sri Lanka in December and, after a lot of negotiations, last month managed to convince Bangladesh to play a test in Rawalpindi.
All the cricket activities require heavy security surrounding the foreign teams, with the kind of armed security and road closures usually reserved for visiting heads of state.
Visiting players have had virtually no movement outside team hotels or match venues although a few Sri Lankan players went to a shopping mall while they stayed in the federal capital.
But Wasim believes that over time, the blanket security can be eased and players will feel more relaxed.
"Certainly its something that we are looking at," he said. "The more we play at home, the more confidence people have, the better it will become. We certainly can't sustain state-level security.”
"More freedom of movement for visiting players and ensuring costs for security don't overburden federal and local governments has to be balanced," Wasim said, "with making sure we never become complacent and we provide the right level of security".
In a bid to reassure cricket officials from countries such as Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa about the security situation, Pakistan invited the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardians of the laws of cricket, for limited-overs matches in Lahore.
Led by former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is also the MCC president, the players have had VIP level security, which is a slightly lower level than that provided to Bangladesh and Sri Lankan squads for recent series.
"MCC have played golf [...] so we've given them a level of freedom which under VIP status you can afford. Certainly that's something that we wish to moving forward as well," Wasim said.
Sangakkara has also backed the country's efforts to resume international cricket.
"Security is always a major concern everywhere in the world," Sangakkara said. "In Pakistan, I think the steps that have been taken over the past few years have instilled great amounts of confidence in cricketing nations beyond the shores of Pakistan and slowly but surely that confidence is building up."
"The more times international sides tour, the stronger that message becomes [making it] harder to ignore."
And Wasim believes the need for Pakistan to host international cricket series in neutral countries is closer to ending.
"There's no reason for us to play anywhere else now," Wasim said. "Cricket has firmly resumed within the country and we fully expect this to be the way moving forward."

Faf du Plessis has quit as South Africa captain across all three formats of cricket, but will remain available for selection, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Monday.
Du Plessis says he wants to take a step back from captaincy to allow a new generation of leaders to develop in the side, with the 35-year-old admitting earlier this year he was not looking at his future in international cricket beyond the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in October and November.
Du Plessis was rested for the recent One-day International and Twenty20 series against England, where South Africa were led by wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock.
“As the team heads into a new direction with new leaders and a young crop of players, I feel it will be in the best interests of South African cricket to relinquish the captaincy in all formats,” Du Plessis said in a statement.
“This was one of the toughest decisions to make, but I remain fully committed to supporting Quinton,” he added.
Du Plessis has come under increasing pressure in recent months after a disappointing 50-over World Cup in England last year was followed by a Test series thrashing in India and a 3-1 home loss to England in January.
His form with the bat has been poor as well, averaging just 20.92 in his last 14 Test innings, leading to his place in the side being questioned.
Du Plessis says his decision to quit is a ‘selfless’ act for the greater good of the team.
He took over as limited overs captain in 2012 and became Test captain in 2016. He built up a reputation as one of the country’s outstanding leaders with his achievements including home-and-away series wins against Australia in both Tests and ODIs.
But South Africa lost 8 of their most recent 9 Tests under his leadership and had a poor World Cup.
This period coincided with upheavals in administration and the firing of coach Ottis Gibson and most of his backroom staff, as well as the retirement of key players.
“The last season of my captaincy has been the most challenging to date as I had a lot of off-field issues that I devoted my energy towards,” he said.
Du Plessis captained South Africa in 112 matches across all formats, including 36 Tests.
He said his time away from cricket since the end of the Test series against England last month had given him ‘a lot of perspective’.
The announcement clears the way for De Kock to lead South Africa at the T20 World Cup and possibly to lead the Test team in a two-match series in the West Indies in July and August.
Jacques Faul, acting chief executive of CSA, paid tribute to Du Plessis.
“He has always put the team first,” said Faul.
“Following the retirement of Vernon Philander he and Dale Steyn are the last survivors of the golden generation that took the Proteas to the top of the Test rankings and he still has a vital role to play as we bridge the gap between one generation and the next.”

India have agreed to play a day-night Test in Australia during the team’s 2020-21 tour, board president Sourav Ganguly has said.
The decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) follows January’s meeting with a Cricket Australia delegation led by chairman Earl Eddings.
India declined Australia’s offer to play a day-night Test during their most recent tour Down Under in 2018-19 and were the last major cricket-playing country to play a pink-ball match when they hosted Bangladesh in Kolkata in November.
“A formal announcement will come soon but we have decided to play a day-night test in Australia,” former captain Ganguly told Monday’s edition of the Times of India newspaper. “We will also play one against England at home next February. Day-night Tests will be a regular feature from now on.”
CA had originally suggested playing two day-night Tests during the tour but Ganguly had rejected that idea in December.
Ganguly, who took the reins of the BCC) last October, has said he wanted India to play at least one day-night Test in every series.

Half-centuries by Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme set up New Zealand's five-wicket win over India in the third one-day international last week Tuesday which completed a series sweep.
Guptill's 66 from 46 balls, which included a 50 from 29 deliveries, gave New Zealand a speedy start in pursuit of India's 296-7.
Nicholls made 80 from 103 balls to add solidity, putting on 106 in an opening stand with Guptill and 53 for the third wicket with captain Kane Williamson (22), who missed the first two matches with a shoulder injury.
De Grandhomme then finished the chase, hitting his half-century from 21 balls and finishing 58 not out in an unbroken 80-run partnership with Tom Latham (32), which carried New Zealand to 300-5.
New Zealand began to lose its way in the middle of its innings, quickly losing Williamson, Ross Taylor (12) and Jimmy Neesham (19), slumping to 220-5 in the 40th over.
Wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took 3-47 from his 10 overs as India managed to squeeze New Zealand between the 30th and 40th overs.
But Latham and De Grandhomme patiently batted New Zealand within sight of victory, then burly all-rounder De Grandhomme was able to hit out with three sixes and six fours to lift New Zealand to victory with 17 balls to spare.
“An outstanding performance, very clinical,” Williamson said.
“India put us under pressure in every game in the series. They managed to do that again in the first half but the way the guys fought back with the ball and perhaps kept India to a par total on that surface, and the cricket smarts in the second half, was outstanding.”
Earlier, KL Rahul posted his fourth ODI century and shared two century partnerships to anchor India's innings after it was sent in on losing the toss.
Mayank Agarwall (1) and captain Virat Kohli (9) were out cheaply but Rahul built the innings in partnerships of exactly 100 for the fourth wicket with Shreyas Iyer (62) and 107 for the fifth with Manish Pandey (42).
India looked set for a total well in excess of 300 when it was 161-3 after 30 overs. But it didn't finish as strongly as it should have, adding only 49 for the loss of three wickets in the last 10 overs.
Rahul reached his century from 104 balls and was out with the total 269-5 in the 47th over.
With the ball, only Chahal was able to impose concerted pressure on the New Zealand batsmen. He began by bowling Guptill with a classic leg break which pitched on leg, beat the bat and hit off stump.
India's key bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, went without a wicket in the series, finishing with 0-167 from 30 overs.
“The games were not as clear cut as the scorelines suggest,” Kohli said. “It boils down to those chances we didn't grab."
All three games, I thought the way we fielded and our composure with the ball I don't think was enough to win games of cricket at international level. he said.

England secured a 1-1 series draw with South Africa as they beat the hosts by two wickets in the third one-day international in Johannesburg on February 9.
Recalled spinners Adil Rashid (3-51) and Moeen Ali (1-42) helped restrict the Proteas to 256-7 despite Quinton de Kock and David Miller both hitting 69.
Jason Roy (21) and Jonny Bairstow (43) got England off to a fast start before the tourists stuttered. Joe Root (49) and Joe Denly (66) played maturely to stabilise the chase.
But South Africa fought back with four quick wickets in a tense finale before Moeen and Chris Jordan guided England to 257-8 with 40 balls to spare.
While the chase should never have been so tight, it was an improved performance from the world champions after they were beaten by seven wickets in the first ODI, with the second match abandoned because of rain.
Moeen, making his first international appearance since the first Ashes Test in August, showed superb control and bowled Rassie van der Dussen shortly after the South African was controversially able to overturn being given out lbw off Rashid.
Rashid offered constant threat, with several batsmen unable to pick his googly, in snaring Temba Bavuma and Andile Phehlukwayo lbw and duping De Kock into a loose shot to bowl the Proteas captain.
The accuracy of Moeen and Rashid through the middle overs ensured South Africa never got close to an overwhelming total, even when the impressive Miller (69 not out) attacked poor death bowling from Jordan, who conceded 40 off his last three overs.
Saqib Mahmood, 22, had a fine ODI debut in taking 1-17 off five overs, bowling Reeza Hendricks with a beautiful delivery that just grazed the top of the bail.
And 24-year-old Tom Curran, an unused member of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad, troubled the Proteas' top order and gave up just 38 runs from his nine overs.
Bairstow showed brutal power and purpose to punish loose bowling by seamer Ngidi, smashing flat sixes over square leg, crashing anything over-pitched through the covers and punching adeptly down the ground.
He looked on course for a big score only to miscue one off a thick inside edge to mid-wicket before fellow opener Roy, who hit two sixes over long on, was also caught off a misjudged shot.
England could have wobbled when captain Eoin Morgan tamely chipped straight back to Beuran Hendricks (3-59) for nine, but Root played the fuss-free innings he excels at to stabilise the chase while keeping on top of the rate. He was livid at his dismissal after tapping left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi to leg slip, where Bavuma took a sublime low catch.
As England closed in on the target, Denly hit Shamsi for back-to-back sixes over mid-wicket to bring up his second consecutive ODI half-century only to loft a drive to Phehlukwayo off Ngidi (3-63).
South Africa surged back into the contest by taking three more wickets for just 20 runs, as Banton was caught behind for 32, Curran skied one to cover and Rashid nicked behind, but Moeen kept calm to ensure England avoided a first ODI series defeat since 2017 in India.

Captain Eoin Morgan went on a six-hitting spree to take his side to a series win in a high-scoring third and final Twenty20 International at the SuperSport Park on Sunday.
Morgan slammed seven sixes in an innings of 57 not out off 22 balls as England chased down South Africa’s 222 for six with five wickets and five balls to spare.
“It’s a nice note to leave this tour on,” said Morgan. But Morgan had sympathy for the bowlers on a day when a capacity crowd were peppered with 28 sixes as the batsmen took advantage of a true pitch and the thin air of the South African highveld.
Heinrich Klaasen, playing in his first match of the South African home international season, hit 66 off 33 balls for the hosts after Temba Bavuma (49) and captain Quinton de Kock (35) hammered 84 for the first wicket off 46 balls.
“When any side posts 220 it’s a tough ask but going back to the 2016 World Cup with this group of players we chased down 230 against South Africa in Mumbai. So we always had this belief,” added Morgan.
Jason Roy was out early but Jos Buttler (57) and Jonny Bairstow (64) put on 91 off 50 balls for the second wicket to put England in a strong position. But 78 runs were still needed off 38 balls when Dawid Malan was fourth out with the total on 145.
Ben Stokes joined Morgan and the pair added 61 off 27 balls before Stokes was caught on the boundary with 17 still needed off 11 balls.
Morgan hit two sixes off successive balls from Lungi Ngidi in the same over and the contest was effectively ended.
Morgan was named man-of-the-match and man of the series for being the leading run-scorer in the series.
South Africa won the first game by one run before England levelled the series with a two-run victory.
It was the last match for England after a tour in which they won a four-match Test series and shared a one-day series.

Pakistan's 16-year-old paceman Naseem Shah became the youngest bowler to take a Test hat-trick as the hosts closed on victory over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.
Shah's intervention late on the third day saw Bangladesh collapse from 124-2 to 126-6 in their second innings, still trailing by 86 runs.
He trapped Nazmul Shanto lbw, pinned Taijul Islam in front and then had Mahmudullah caught at first slip.
Shah broke the record held by former Bangladesh spinner Alok Kapali, who was 19 when he took three wickets in consecutive balls against Pakistan in 2003.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on February 11 released the 2019 Associate Member census figures that show a huge leap in the amount of cricket being played around the world. The decision by the ICC Board to award international status to all T20 matches between Members in 2018 and the introduction of global rankings in the format has had a transformative impact across the sport.
The year 2019 saw a 110% increase in the The year 2019 saw a 110% increase in the number of Associate Members women's bilateral T20 matches matches compared to 2018, whilst the men's T20 matches rose by 34% with 71 of the 92 Associate Members participating in T20I cricket. 49 men's teams played their first T20I whilst 29 women's teams debuted in the format, making this the largest growth moment for the sport at the Associate level to date.
The introduction of meritocratic pathways to ICC global events has also supported the growth of the game with 23 global, regional and sub-regional events being held in 2019 in which 40 Members competed, thanks to an investment of more than $5 million from the ICC.
Three Associate Members will play in their first ICC World Cup in 2020 as a result of these pathway events; Japan and Nigeria competed at the recently concluded U19 Cricket World Cup, whilst history makers Thailand will compete at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia later this month.
Remarkably, the 11 Associate Member teams that have qualified for ICC World Cups in 2020 hail from 10 different countries - further demonstrating the improved competitiveness of international cricket.
99 Associate Member players have broken into the T20I player rankings; 25 male and 23 female batters and 30 male and 21 female bowlers were in the top 100 as of December 2019.
At the grassroots of the sport in Associate Member countries, participation has increased by 14% year on year whilst the growth in the number of women and girls playing has risen by 13%.

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