Cricket For Peace

The recriminations have been flying almost since the moment the bullets stopped.   What happened on Tuesday 3rd of March was tragic for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and cricket in South Asia.

I don’t really know where to start with this one…..  I was horrified to hear what happened in Lahore – a city that I had a wonderful time in when watching England on 2005.

Much of Pakistan seems to be in denial about what happened.  I’ve seen this absurd piece of ‘evidence’ (110 per cent true!) a number of times on the web now suggesting that India’s spy agency RAW was behind the attacks.

Now I don’t deny that India and Pakistan both interfer in each others internal affairs but RAW shooting Sri Lankan cricketers really is crazy.

Imran Khan has got in on the denial act, suggesting a foreign element – Afghans, Indians, Tamil Tigers – anyone but Pakistanis.   However there are rational voices too that accept, tragically, that this attack was carried out by homegrown extremists (let’s face it we all have some).

‘First off, what did the poor gentle Sri Lankans do to deserve the treatment they in Lahore at our hands?

I ask this question in the manner I do because right-wing pundits and the authorities can bury their heads in the sand and say that this country and its own people had nothing to do with the atrocity; I believe it was no one but Pakistanis who planned, trained for, and did the dastardly deed.’ – http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/Dawn%20Content%20Library/dawn/news/pakistan/goodbye-cricket-hello-gulli-danda–szh

Sri Lanka has noted that they do not believe that India was involved in the attacks,

‘‘From our point of view, there is no Indian involvement,’ said Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

And indeed Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror today says,

‘A little-known militant Muhammad Aqil has been identified by Pakistani security agencies as the mastermind of the audacious attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, but raids across the city to nab him proved futile on Monday as he managed to escape.

The security agencies conducted raids at several places after identifying Aqil, who has links to a banned militant group. However, the name of the group was not revealed.

Though Aqil, who hails from Kahuta, managed to escape, his accomplice Talat was captured.’

Meanwhile aside from the typical Indo-Pak finger pointing that often accompanies acts of violence in either country, the cricketing world is reeling from the shock.  While the Mumbai attacks missed international cricketers by a day or two (and I was adamant at the time that they were not the targets) this time there is no doubt that cricket was the target.

Pakistan’s cricket captain, Younis Khan, pleaded with the international community,

‘I can only plead to everyone don’t abandon Pakistan now or try to isolate it. If this mistake is made, terrorism will have won in Pakistan,’

The 31-year-old said cricket was a binding force for young and old in the country.

‘We don’t have much to cheer about and if you stop cricket activities you are encouraging young minds to be influenced by these militants’.

Ordinary Pakistanis feel the same,

‘For entertainment there is cricket or you can go to a restaurant with your family. But the first priority is cricket,” said Shahzad Mehmood, a 28-year-old accounts clerk who had come to the site of the terror attack to lay flowers. “When we play cricket, or watch cricket, we feel so happy.”

You can read Pakistani bloggers reactions here too.

However in the short term is seems unrealistic that international cricket, or indeed any other sport, will continue in Pakistan.  This is a disaster for an already struggling cricket board, and for all fans of Pakistani cricket.  There have been rumours that Pakistan may play Australia in England next year and from a purely selfish perspective, I would love that to happen but I would prefer to be able to watch Pakistan play cricket at home like I did in 2005.

Even in the slightly longer term, these attacks look like they may have impacted in South Asia’s ability to host the 2011 world cup.  None of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh are risk free and all have been subject to terrorist attacks, civil war and coups.  As Nasser Hussain said,

‘The 2011 world cup due to be staged in the region, has to be in jeopardy’.

In October last year Imran Khan said in a TV interview that militants would never attack cricket in Pakistan because Pakistanis love cricket so much that there would be a backlash.  Well let us only hope that this backlash comes soon and that those determined to destroy Pakistan’s reputation in the world can be prevented from doing further damage.