Say NO to cricket with Pakistan
Cricket with Pakistan, you cannot be serious, as the former enfant terrible of tennis, John McEnroe would have thundered. On Saturday, even as Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were battling the Englishmen to save the fourth Test in Manchester, news of India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dubai in September shocked one and all.
On the Kargil Diwas Day, to celebrate 26 years of a war India won against the rogue state of Pakistan, for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to announce the dates of the event in Dubai was the worst news. Saturday was also the day, the Indian Government decided, that ‘Operation Sindoor’ will now be a part of the school syllabus at two stages to educate the youth on how India took on Pakistan with great tact and won a war hands down.
Just to jog the reader’s memory, post the horrific and barbaric terror attack in Pahalagam, where innocents tourists lost their lives, embers from the pyres have still not cooled down. Post that attack, India showed its might with the Indian Air Force strategically targetting air bases in Pakistan with drone attacks. Not just that, India had ensured the air space in Pakistan would be neutered. When It was time for India to celebrate, Pakistan begged India for mercy and a ceasefire through the hotline call made by the DGMO from across the border.
That India agreed to pause ‘Operation Sindoor’ was on the request from many countries, where the United States of America was also seriously concerned how strongly India could even hit the Nur Khan nuke base in Pakistan. Post that, white flag being waved does not mean India has become friends with Pakistan. To the contrary, the sense of national pride and feeling of patriotism now soars among Indians, People have realised there can be no soft bargains with Pakistan, a recalcitrant terror state. To be sure, India now understands Pakistan has no agenda, only wanting to ‘claim’ Kashmir, which belongs to India and will never happen. The geopolitical shift in politics and nations taking a stand on India versus Pakistan has been changing. The ‘New India’ under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will show no mercy to Pakistan.
In such a scenario, where Pakistan tried to even fire missiles through drones at the Holy Golden Temple in Amritsar and attempted to even target the sacrosanct Mata Vaishno Devi near Katra (Jammu state), it is preposterous to think India can play sport with Pakistan. Cricket is high-pitch and one saw a week back how India refused to play Pakistan in a seniors’ event, where Harbhajan Singh led the revolt. These former cricketers said no to a match with Pakistan in the Legends League..
The point is, if seniors are sane and have refused to play with Pakistan, how did the agenda-driven Asian Cricket Council (ACC) put out the match schedules of India versus Pakistan in the Asia Cup to be played in Dubai in September. Everyone knows, the ACC is headed by a Pakistani crooked politician, Mohsin Naqvi. He is the same man who had gone crawling to the ICC when India refused to play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan. It was shifted to Dubai. For the record, India won the trophy under Rohit Sharma.
This is not the time for cricket with a terror state. It is well-known Pakistan websites and YouTube channels have been banned in India. Public sentiment is one of outrage, nobody wants India versus Pakistan contests in T20 format in Dubai. At best, these matches have become a joke, since India hammer their arch rivals repeatedly in the ODI as well as the T20 format.
If anything, the Asia Cup, which has been diluted from the original ODI format to T20 format is a meaningless tournament, Maybe, it does rake in money through TV rights. However, this is not the time for cricket with Pakistan. On Saturday, from the common man to those who are political commentators, the mood was one of shock at how India can even think of playing cricket with the unfriendly neighbours.
The BCCI needs to halt it. In any case, for any sporting contest with Pakistan, permission has to be taken from the Central Government. Here is hoping cricket is put on hold indefinitely as the wounds from Pahalgam and tears shed still continue. Last but not the least, let us not disrespect the way Indian Defence Forces have hammered Pakistan, be it through air attacks or a coordinated attack on the ground. Jai Hind.
