A fool and his flag

By his silly and needless actions, the chef de mission of the Pakistan contingent has embarrassed the whole nation, and for that at the very least he should be asked to apologise to the people of this country. On many counts, it seems, the official, who also happens to be Sindh’s sports minister, acted in a manner thoroughly unbecoming of someone of his position and authority. He grossly misused his official position and, in full view of much of the world, in one fell swoop made a fool of himself and humiliated his compatriots.

Events such as the Commonwealth Games are platforms for athletes to show their skills and prowess and those who do that in the best manner get ample rewards and recognition. Pakistan’s weightlifter Shuja Malik was one such sportsmen — he won the country’s only gold medal at the last Commonwealth Games and was the ideal choice to hold the national flag as the team entered and made their way past a rousing reception at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru stadium. But the chef de mission would have none  of it. After the fiasco, he had the audacity to say that the matter was nothing, that the media has blown it out of proportion and everything was settled. Lucky for the official, the camera doesn’t lie — and the whole world could see how agitated the country’s champion weightlifter was, as the official physically pushed him away.

We can only wonder how the provincial minister feels about depriving Shuja Malik of a memorable – and thoroughly well-deserved – moment. What is perhaps even more unfortunate is that the minister will not have even realised that what he did was inappropriate and childish, and amounted to a gross abuse of his authority. He is unfit for his post and should be recalled home by the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2010.