Matches could be played in the metropolis, provided ``Pakistani ISI agents stop their nefarious activities'', Joshi told reporters here.

Replying to a question on whether the Government had taken steps to prevent repetition of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) incident, he said, ``There have always been cases of agitation, violence and public property being destroyed in the past. One must, however, understand the basic principle behind the attack and I hope Pakistan has learnt a lesson from the incident''.

The Chief Minister said he was happy that the BCCI had changed its decision regarding shifting of its office to Calcutta.

Replying to a query on whether the Government was losing a lot of revenue and its image through such unsavoury incidents,Joshi said, ``There are some things that are more important than revenue'' and denied that Mumbai had lost its image as a sports-loving city following the attack on the BCCI headquarters.

Speaking on India's achievements on the eve of Republic Day, Joshi said it was heartening to note that democracy had survived here even after 50 years, but disheartening to see that the country was progressing at a very slow pace.

Attributing the slow progress to a focus on non-issues, he said it was time Indians diverted their attention from political issues and devoted themselves to other burning problems.