Sporting decision

Pakistan's decision to play in India is a sign of good sportsmanship

Greenshirts will be playing in India after a hiatus of seven years. The government’s decision to send in Pakistan’s cricket team for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India is a great decision. It has sent the right signals, as no room was spared for political exigency by refusing to be apologetic. That is how the spirit of sports should be, and Pakistan has truly put India in the dock, and in a sense of embarrassment too as New Delhi was back-footing on unfounded grounds of extremity in their otherwise checkered bilateral relations. The mega-event scheduled later this year will be full of enthusiasm for the cricket-crazy nations of the subcontinent, as they will see their sides in action.

The gentleman’s game is in need of being seen from the prism of sportsmanship. Both India and Pakistan had unnecessarily politicised it to serve their vested interests. India’s off and on knee-jerk reactions to snub Pakistan by refusing to send in its boys, and even creating bottlenecks in issuance of visas to touring sides had been an unfortunate constant. Of late, it had refused to send its cricket team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup; and the paranoid-ism was at its zenith as it very often refused to play Pakistan on neutral venues too. Such a premise is a negation of rationality, and speaks of India’s intransigent attitude.

India and Pakistan duels are one of the most awaited encounters, and must be encouraged on all sporting fields — be it hockey, kabaddi, chess or other in-door ventures. This is how we can beat radicalism, and the sense of otherness that is widely prevalent. It is, nonetheless, a good omen that Pakistan will play at five cities of India, and could make it big if they qualify for semis at Mumbai. In this way, the fear of the unknown that had ruined human space can be buried, and a new regime of peace erected on goodwill. Islamabad has taken a leap forward, and now the onus is on Delhi to ensure serenity by exhibiting exemplary hospitality.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2023.

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