Terror on the field
We must hope that there is no terrorist outrage and that all the excitement is restricted to the field.
There was a time when mention of terror on the cricket field referred only to an especially fierce fast bowler or perhaps a ruthless batsman dismissing a desperate bowling attack for boundaries all around the field. This is no longer the case. Terror now means a strike with bombs or guns or grenades — and Pakistan’s interior minister has suggested his security apparatus had ‘credible information’ that such an attack was possible on the Pakistan cricket team as it moves to India for its semi-final against the host country. It would appear that even though international cricket has been banned from Pakistan, the terrorist scourge may be following it around the world.
Mr Malik’s warning cannot be entirely dismissed, especially as it seems to stem from an arrest made by Interpol in Sri Lanka. The indications that Pakistan is now ready to cooperate with the world against terrorism is welcome. There is no direct indication of where the threat comes from, but there has been talk of possible Taliban activity in India. It is too early to say how much of this is completely reliable. To add to the risk of possible Taliban action, there is also — as always when Pakistan visits India — a possible threat from the Shiv Sena, with the final, ominously enough, scheduled for Mumbai.
We must hope that there is no terrorist outrage and that all the excitement is restricted to the field. This has so far been a wonderful World Cup, it would be a tragedy if it was ruined in any way. Of course, there will be sceptics on both sides who will scoff at such comments but it is always better to take such threats seriously given the fact that anti-Muslim violence has often occurred in India. What is encouraging is the cooperation we see between Pakistan and India. Only a willingness of this nature to work together can save us from the terrible fallout that would come with any act of terrorism. We must do everything possible to ensure this does not happen, by sharing information across borders and working together to ensure the World Cup proceeds as smoothly as possible, without a major hitch. This, in the final analysis, is far more important than who wins or loses.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2011.
Mr Malik’s warning cannot be entirely dismissed, especially as it seems to stem from an arrest made by Interpol in Sri Lanka. The indications that Pakistan is now ready to cooperate with the world against terrorism is welcome. There is no direct indication of where the threat comes from, but there has been talk of possible Taliban activity in India. It is too early to say how much of this is completely reliable. To add to the risk of possible Taliban action, there is also — as always when Pakistan visits India — a possible threat from the Shiv Sena, with the final, ominously enough, scheduled for Mumbai.
We must hope that there is no terrorist outrage and that all the excitement is restricted to the field. This has so far been a wonderful World Cup, it would be a tragedy if it was ruined in any way. Of course, there will be sceptics on both sides who will scoff at such comments but it is always better to take such threats seriously given the fact that anti-Muslim violence has often occurred in India. What is encouraging is the cooperation we see between Pakistan and India. Only a willingness of this nature to work together can save us from the terrible fallout that would come with any act of terrorism. We must do everything possible to ensure this does not happen, by sharing information across borders and working together to ensure the World Cup proceeds as smoothly as possible, without a major hitch. This, in the final analysis, is far more important than who wins or loses.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2011.