It has to be said that even a layperson with little knowledge of law but some amount of common sense would have expected such a decision from the court. Also, these kinds of allegations have been dogging Pakistan cricket for a long time but the Pakistan Cricket Board never acted on its own and the job was left to a sting operation carried out by the reporter of a now-defunct British tabloid to expose some of the culprits. As if the crime committed was not enough to hang their heads in shame, the trio insisted all along that they were innocent, aided by some local TV channels who invited them as ‘experts’ during events such as the World Cup and as ‘guests’ on Eid shows. They not only let down millions who had invested their trust in them but their continued intransigence stomped upon and ridiculed every ounce of love the country’s cricket followers had bestowed on them. But perhaps that is an apt reflection of the society that we are part of. No sense of accountability, denials following all wrongdoings, defiance when confronted, finding scapegoats to vent our anger and frustration on and, in the end, the power of moving on.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.
COMMENTS (10)
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Absolutely love the closing paragraph of the Editorial
So true. Well done. I hope Pakistanis truly introspect, not just on cricket, but all aspects of how the country is run, education, media, government, army, healthcare, etc, and how deep the corruption and denial is, on everything, and hope we can do something about it.
@haroun rashid:
It was the way he said it too. Arrogantly without a hint of shame when asked why it was happening to him 'Kya mein Amriki lagta houn' (What, do I look American?).
The nation allows him to tap into this collective conspiracy derangement for his self-entitlement and excuse or denial of his own wrong-doing.
@Usman I think you have gone a little over the top. Even if what you say is true, it's still irrelevant to the context.
If you want a lawful society, then apply the law. The British courts followed due process. We must accept their verdict. My personal veiw: the verdict was very lenient.
Don’t blame the cricketers. It is a collective behavior of every single Pakistani to deny any wrong doing even after presented with solid proofs. This has to stop. Unless you change your mindset including us vs. them behavior, pointing fingers at others for all of your ills etc. this will bound to happen again and again.
Our shame and anger at these corrupt cricketers is obvious. But thank you for highlighting the embarrassingly unscrupulous TV channels who continued to exploit these tainted men. And the TV anchors who gave air time and encouragement to people like Salman Butt to proffer their outlandish "conspiracy against Pakistan" theories. It was an insult to all Pakistani's.
@usman: Hindu's & Sikh were not the only migrants on the eve of partition...there were hundreds of thousands muslims as well who left behind everything they had and came here empty handed. however i have no sympathy for those who brought shame & embarrassment to who nation for their personal greeds!
what else you expect from a society who became rich overnight on the eve of partition by just breaking the locks of fleeing Hindu and Sikh shopowners and businessmen, esp of Punjab and to be more precise, Lahore. I also belong to this society and share the guilt.
No sympathy with those who brought shame and embarrassment to Pakistan only to their greed for money.