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Thursday March 28, 2024

Why India avoids playing Pakistan

By Mazhar Abbas
June 22, 2017

India's approach to sever cricketing ties with Pakistan a decade ago has a lot to do with the changing extremist mindset in the Indian society. Pakistan has never avoided playing his archrival, whether on its soil or at any neutral ground.

One of the reasons Indians often cite is alleged terrorism. But, in reality, a victory against India often unites Pakistani nation and sports often brings people closer to each other, something which negates the hardliners’ stance in India.

On the contrary, Pakistan’s team went to India despite threats from Shiv Sena and Bal Takhray. Even saner elements in India, whether in politics, sports and showbiz, faced threats for their normal reaction like congratulating Pakistan on victory or support for Pak-India contest.

On Sunday, Pakistan crushed India, on a neutral ground, The Oval, in England. It is always difficult to digest defeat from an archrival, which brought smiles on the faces of millions of Pakistanis and sports lovers all around the world.

Pakistan not only took a revenge of 124-run defeat at the hands of Indians in the first match, but also outclassed its opponents in the final.

Cricket is a passion in India and Pakistan, like hockey used to be for almost five decades. Politics and sports have never been mixed up and Pakistan still wants better ties with India and wants to keep sports and politics separate.

There is a lesson for both Pakistani and Indian fans. While we rightly enjoy victory, we have not yet learnt to digest defeat with grace. We can learn lessons from English or Australian fans: how they reacted after being out from the tournament despite been the favourites.

India has now included “not to play with Pakistan as part of its foreign policy unlike its past policy till Vajpayee's tenure”. But, they can't refuse contest at the International events.

From the era of cricket diplomacy, coined by former military dictator, General Ziaul Haq to Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's approach has been quite rational to keep politics and sports separate, rather making sports as a way to ease tensions.

Indian hardliners were sacred that any defeat at the hands of Pakistan, like the one witnessed on Sunday, in Champions Trophy final, would united Pakistani nation, something which perhaps does not suit the BJP politics.

Pakistani fans always praised even world class cricketers from India like from any other country. There had never been any disturbance or opposition within the country on the visit of Indian cricket team or Pakistan's visit to India. We are sports loving nation and had always kept politics away from cricket.

Even during Nawaz Sharif's second government, he was under pressure not to send the cricket team after Indian extremists damaged the Delhi pitch. But, Sharif gave green signal and he was praised by former Indian premier Vajpayee.

Pakistan-India match has always been more than just a game and we have often seen fans’ severe reaction over defeat, as we are now witnessing in the neighbouring country. Yet, when former leading Pakistani and Indian cricketers talk to each other on TV talk shows, they praise each other's players, according to their strength.

In Pakistan, from prime minister to the army chief, from the ruling party to the opposition, and even those who once used to criticise cricket, congratulated Pakistan, along with millions, who were on the streets. Such moments are rare and the last time we witnessed this in 1992 World Cup.

Even PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry in a TV talk show, praised PCB Chief Executive Najam Sethi and even clapped on his future plan of promoting cricket, irrespective of what the PTI fans did with him at The Oval.

It was a special moment, not just because Pakistan beat India, but the way the number eight team in the world cricket ranking defeated world's no 1, South Africa, world number 3, India, world number 4, England and world no 6, South Africa. Never in Pakistan's cricketing history, Pakistan had defeated so many teams in such a convincing way in any single ICC event.

Facing India, in the final after earlier defeat in the opening match, made many in Pakistan nervous, but they were confident that the way it had defeated England and South Africa, it would not be easy for Indian strong batting line-up to face world's best bowling attack.

The day became special because Pakistan not only beat India, lift the trophy but also crushed the opponent in style. The joy brought millions on the street with smiling face, even in areas like Fata, where death had been the only news for three decades.

I always believe that Pakistan could defeat extremism by promoting sports, opening job opportunities for youngsters through sports quota, the policy which had been abolished.

If one analyses how cricket has changed Fata and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and became most popular. They may get an answer what sports can do in defeating extremist mindset. Go and see how cricket is loved on the streets of Waziristan or Peshawar. Within 15 years, It has produced world class players like Younus Khan, Shahid Afridi, Junaid Khan and many others.

It should have been part of National Action Plan (NAP) in post-9/11 Pakistan. United Pakistan, perhaps something which Indian hardliners don't want to see and as a result they have de-linked all sporting ties with Pakistan. India needs to change its approach, which cannot only bring peace but also people together.

On the contrary, Pakistan's policy to keep sports away from politics is intact and it has already produced good results. Congratulations to Pakistan on historic win against archrival India, through great team work and combination of senior and junior under young Captain Sarfraz Ahmad.

  The writer is the senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang

Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO