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IPL3,pakistan,indian intelligentsia

जागरण संपादकीय ब्लॉग
जागरण संपादकीय ब्लॉग
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Since the last one week there has been significant focus on the exclusion of the Pakistani cricketers from IPL 3; substantial hullabaloo that raked up diverse issues; their cricketers having been dealt with in an undignified manner, conflating sports with politics, relevance of soft diplomacy.

What drew my attention was that it not only created a furore across the border where their government very promptly associated it with national honour and pride and which was in the given circumstances laughable but not inexplicable; somewhat abstrusely for me, there was an unwarranted hoopla in our country as well. I did not envisage that a sporting/commercial decision of certain franchises that are a part of this IPL, could stir up a national debate; occupy as much of our mind/media space.

We all realize that IPL is a sporting event with commercial/economic aspects that are pertinent for its sustenance. The franchise owners are in the private domain, have their own decision making autonomy and are entitled to decide what they deem best for themselves. Why would commercial operators put money on horses which are doubtful starters? To infer government pressure/intervention in what prima facie appears to be a pragmatic business decision, is indulging in avoidable speculation. Compared to Pakistan, we have a more conducive business environment. It might perplex and incense at the same time, our shambolic neighbour but there is no ISI or Taliban this side of the border to sway every facet of life.

Pakistan may today be the world champions of the 20/20 format, but they still remain a mercurial, capricious bunch of cricketers; please refer to the performance of the Pakistan cricket team post their world cup victory. There is also that element of indiscipline, anarchism and contumacy in them which is lurid. Besides player selection in sports will always be subjective. The selectors have made judgemental errors in the past as well; recall the several unexplained omissions of cricketer Mohinder Amarnath through out the seventies and eighties which stupefied the entire nation. Of the current world champion Pakistan eleven, individually, only few qualify for selection even purely on cricketing credentials.

If we examine the wider ambit, decide to hedge the risk as wise business people, there is substantive explanation for the exclusion of handful Pakistani cricketers. Why unnecessarily construe conspiracy and read politics when commerce and sports sufficiently answer the questions? I wonder if it is the national pride or the green back dreams of the Pakistani cricketers that has received a setback by the omission and is making them cringe; this fracas stirred by them traces its provenance in their exasperation over the latter.

The Indian government has clarified its stand by criticizing the omission of Pakistan; with the Home minister joining the tirade, the IPL administration may be coerced into making some provisions for accommodating Pakistani cricketers; the final outcome of this saga is uncertain.

Nevertheless, I would like to delve into certain aspects of our society

Even if we were to grant Pakistan their best argument which is, that the IPL administration at the behest of the Indian government has been deliberately blasphemous towards them; they acted in cahoots with the government to belittle them; although there is substance to challenge the veracity of their averment, what makes even that as abominable?
Pakistan has historically been, to put it as mildly as I can, jingoistic, uncivilized, irresponsible and barbaric in its conduct. Why should its exclusion from an extravagant sporting spectacle, for whatever conceivable reason there may have been, draw pejorative comments in our society?
Did we not as a nation promise to never forgive and forget the 26/11 catastrophe? Did we not decide that Pakistan will be made to pay a price for its acts of terror, wanton and genocide? That price may not be trammelled to war alone; since it has been explained to us that war between two nuclear armed neighbours is not an option or rather the preferred option, Pakistan should still be made to pay up in every possible manner; seclusion amidst international fraternity, economic sanctions, UN army intervention; it may even entail suffering in terms of people to people contact, trade/commerce relations, and sporting/cultural exchange.
Even in a geopolitical world there have been cases of breaking all ties with a belligerent enemy nation. Did we not express that a little over a year back? What has changed in the past one year to prompt this slew in our approach and attitude?
We wish to internationally ostracize Pakistan but at the same time maintain cordial bilateral relations; sounds more like an oxymoron.

I was bewildered; it was for me, a case of the imponderables chasing the unthinkable before I realised my naiveté.

How long can we continue to dwell on the past? It has been fourteen months since the 26/11 tragedy. There has been no major terror attack since then. A laudable accomplishment of our government; remember the eerie regularity with which we used to be struck. We still bemoan!
There have been around forty incidents of cease fire violation, cross border firing in the last one year; infiltration has continued and come summer, an upsurge is expected. But at least no significant calamity has befallen. What more can Pakistan do?
Pakistan cannot guarantee that there will be no further attacks on India as it stated in riposte to the warning issued by the US defence secretary against any future 26/11 type attacks. How can we expect them to guarantee our security? How demanding are we getting?
How long will we continue to be accusative? How many times do they iterate that the terror attacks emanating from their soil were performed by non state actors? We still do not understand.
Pakistan may have become the epicentre of world terrorism, but they also face an existential dilemma. This Frankenstein monster called terrorism may have been their creation, but today threatens to devour them as well. We still do not empathise but continue to lament their unpardonable deeds and loath them!
They are a fledgling democracy and despite the fact that at all time since their birth in 1947, whether the civilian government or the military regime, they have been consistently bellicose towards us, they still anticipate us to be sympathetic. Have we not heard umpteen times before that an average Pakistani does not desire to hurt India? Should that alone not be an extenuation for us; make us forget all their sinister acts of the past.
The international community has been mouthing warnings to Pakistan; each time sterner than the previous one. So what if they do not act against Pakistan at least they threaten to act; their words also don’t placate us. How obdurate have we become?

I am now more in sync with the psyche of a section of our intelligentsia which has berated the omission of Pakistani cricketers from IPL.

We have dabbled in the negative territory for an exceptionally long period of time; stop this unrestrained expression of angst and spit of venom against Pakistan; show some equanimity and fortitude at least until, god forbid, the next terror attack.
Please understand how germane are the concepts such as cricket diplomacy, cultural exchange, trade relations, and sporting ties. Do not try and sully the impact of this soft diplomacy. We cannot forego that no matter how enormous the provocation. Learn to live life in air tight compartments. Terrorism and sports cannot be entwined. These are disparate issues. Let not matters of life and death have an overbearing impact on our ebullience. So what if those issues are existential, they cannot be regarded as ubiquitous. We shall discuss terrorism and its concomitant dangers/destruction, when we talk about politics; till then do not politicise sports and arts. We shall host their cricketers, artists after all sports and arts transcend international barriers. What is so unusual in exchanging fire at the border and playing cricket in the hinterland?

Pakistan’s rage over the alleged disrespect to its cricketers is so comprehensible. It is a bigger sin in their eyes than sponsoring acts of annihilation. Don’t we know how much importance they have attached to their cricket and cricketers? Cricket, hockey, squash, singing are the only virtues they excel in as a nation, apart from of course being the undisputed leaders in terrorism. Remember their cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, one of their biggest national icons had sometime in the eighties insolently suggested resolving the Kashmir imbroglio through a cricket match between India and Pakistan; such has been their confidence in their cricketing prowess; the IPL dared to be intemperate towards such talented, ingenious people; it deserves to be reviled. While we may have continued to be civil with them despite the mortal wounds they inflicted on us, the state of Pakistan, has expressed its intentions of severing all ties with us over what they view as indignation of their sportsmen. They cannot be expected to have as high an endurance threshold as us.

To a certain section of the Indian media/society, we can say that they have stretched the 26/11 tragedy beyond the limits of credulity. Don’t be so petulant; we have completed sixty years of the India republic, our economy is on an impressive upswing; ignore the maladies and get into a celebratory mood; join the jamboree. It is both expedient and rewarding to flow with the tide. This constant reference to 26/11 as a watershed event has become hackneyed and sounds maudlin. It has carried on for way too long; it may have been intriguing then, but makes for a trite copy now. We are all hedonists and would not take kindly to any endeavour to besmirch our joy.

I am reminded of an old saying ‘till yesterday I was clever, I wanted to change the world; today I am wise, I have decided to change myself.’
I wish to apologise to the state of Pakistan for harbouring such an ossified view/ideology towards them; for nurturing this inexorable paroxysm of despise.
But I am flustered as to whom do I tender the apology to. Who represents the state of Pakistan? The elected government, the army, the ISI, Taliban, all of them or none of them!

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