PPP MPA moves resolution in PA to bring cricket back to Pakistan

LAHORE: A resolution was moved in the Punjab Assembly, demanding that the ruling government take serious steps to restore international cricket in Pakistan by utilising all diplomatic resources.

The resolution was submitted by PPP’s Mian Khurram Jahangir Wattoo who applauded the Pakistani cricket team’s performance to win the ICC champions trophy.

He said the team played an excellent cricket match and every member of the side deserved high praise for the performance. He said the Pakistan squad played as a unit and performed in all departments of the game to defeat archrivals India in the final.

He said the ‘Shaheens’ gave the country a historic win and proved to the world that Pakistan could not be kept away from the world of cricket. He demanded that the government make serious efforts to restore international cricket in Pakistan by utilising all possible diplomatic resources. He also said that the sport must be strengthened on a domestic level.





Sunday night saw wild scenes of celebrations which started the moment Pakistan took the final catch to defeat India by a mammoth margin of 180 runs. Many spectators breathed a sigh of relief as it was the first time the national team had claimed the champion’s trophy. It was also only the second occasion on which Pakistan had beaten India in a major ICC event.

Several youngsters took to the streets on their motorcycles or cars and danced to the beat of the drum in celebration.

“The final match between Pakistan and India has surely given a clear message to the world that despite all the problems, we are one nation and are united,” said cricket lover Talat Naqvi.

Naqvi was among a group of people watching the match on a television set inside a small grocery shop in Walton Cantt. He hails from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and studies at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET).



“It does not matter whether we win or lose against India. The real excitement is that we are playing the final match of the ICC Champions Trophy against our great rivals,” he said. The cricket fan added he has never witnessed such fever and enthusiasm for the sport that he loves.

Another Lahorite cricket lover swelled with pride over the victory. “We have much respect for our team due to its outstanding performance,” he said. “The champions’ trophy has become the nation’s pride and we are proud of Fakhar Zaman for scoring a century against India.”

Lahore was the city that witnessed the brazen 2009 attack on the touring Sri Lankan team near Gaddafi the Stadium. The deadly assault on the team bus saw the death of six policemen and two passers-by on March 3, while six players also suffered injuries.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2017.