Blasts are as common in Pakistan as strikes and political rallies are in West Bengal. You can not blame the cricketers if they care more for their lives than playing cricket in a country declared as “rogue”. But common people of both the country would not see reason in cricketers’ care for their lives---an India-Pakistan live cricket match gives them so much adrenaline rush that they would rather send their favorite players straight before  the gunpoint of Osama Bin Laden but won’t accept a close down  on an upcoming cricket series between India and Pakistan. It seems, the Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani feels the pulse of his people as well as the people of his enemy country better than any one else and so walks an extra mile to personally request the Indian authority not to cancel the Indian cricket team’s tour to his country scheduled for early next year.

Whenever India faces Pakistan in a match, particularly in an ODI, the cricket pitch turns into a battleground. As the mercury soars, it is the time for journos to create cricket news headlines as sensational as “Kargil of Cricket” or “war at Pitch” and so on. But this hype surrounding the India-Pakistan match can be viewed from a different light all together; instead of viewing it as an extended platform of political ambitions of two warring countries, it should be treated as a harbinger of amity between the two rival countries. And Gilani’s stepping into the fray is just the right step toward this direction.

The Indian cricket team was scheduled to come to Pakistan in January 2009 to play a series consisting of five ODIs and three Test matches and also a Twenti-20 match. But security concerns throw Indian side into dilemma, whether or not to take up the trip. The India team’s landing in Pakistan depends on the clearance from government authority and Government can not make up its mind due to the security concerns. In fact, in the recent past, the junior hockey team could not make it up to Pakistan due to gross security threat.

But cricket is different; cricket is religion for these two countries with colonial past. And that is why the leaders are ready to shake off their ego and do anything that would stop a series from getting derailed. So Gilani would not mind requesting his Indian counter part to send the team across the border and would make every arrangement for strengthening security for the touring team. Thumbs up for Gilani---it is high time we follow Gilani and take the opportunity of using cricket to forge amity between these two countries.

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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