SAY NO TO PAK: Post Pahalgam terror, impossible to see cricket and sports contests with Pakistan

Wearing a black arm band and observing two minutes silence before an IPL match today, this is more than symbolic as India reels in pain after more than 30 innocent people were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.  The nation stands numbed. From common man to politicians, athletes to the crème de crème, there is anger at how lives have been snatched. It has a direct link with terror state Pakistan, who wanted to target tourists. What is has achieved is to create a fear psychosis and disturb peace in the Valley.

On Wednesday, cricketers, badminton players and many more took to social media to express their sorrow and disgust at what has happened. For those who say nothing much can be done, that is a pathetic view. Sports has the power act as balm. Sports also has the power to unite. Unfortunately, given the extremely strained relations between India and Pakistan, there can be whatsoever no rapprochement.

It is well-known, India versus Pakistan in sports had mostly to do with cricket contest and also in hockey. In addition, there have been Davis Cup ties in tennis. Cricket has been the mother of all contests, though for a very long time, bilateral contests have been halted. The Champions Trophy held earlier this year saw extreme bitterness between India and Pakistan. India had put its foot down, refuse travel to Pakistan. Dubai was the chosen neutral venue and Rohit Sharma’s men won the Champions Trophy there.

For Pakistan, the isolation is massive. India will never travel there for cricket. And at the same time, if the Pakistan Cricket Board says it will not come to India for ICC cricket events, that is good. The mood in India is of anger and wanting to hit back, just that some decisions have to be left to the political establishment, which has support from important countries like USA, Israel and even China on this topic.

This year, the ICC World Cup for women will be held in India. Nobody will shed a tear Pakistan will play at a neutral venue and not in India. At least, that is the kind of negativity which Pakistan and its cricket board (PCB) has created. Not long ago, Pakistani cricketers like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar would come to India for commentary assignments. So much damage has been by strained relations now terror, every step taken now will be retrograde.

For the record, in the IPL, the ban on Pakistani players came long ago. Reasons for it were terror. Who lost out was Pakistan as their players were robbed of great competition which the IPL is in terms of exciting quality in the T20 format. For those who were lucky to see a Sachin Tendulkar play in Pakistan or a Virender Sehwag smash a triple ton in test cricket in Multan, all these are memories. And it cannot be restored.

The way forward is bleak, since there is every possibility, India will take strong and retaliatory action against its rogue neighbours. Almost 11 years ago, at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, India beat Pakistan in the gold medal match. Former winger Shahnaz Shaikh who was their hockey coach had told this writer at that time, hockey in Pakistan will be finished if there were no bilateral contests. Now it is turning out to be true. There used to be a hockey test series, now it’s buried.

If one looks at every sport, India have so many events at home, including leagues. To see a Pakistani athlete win in India is next to impossible. Of course, those countries who still dare to go and play cricket in Pakistan or their equivalent of the IPL, it is poor quality. The boundary is small and money on offer is peanuts. That Pakistan is losing big time is well-known and they can do nothing about it is stark reality.

At one point of time, people felt India should help Pakistan in sports. No, not today, not in the future. Two days back, Neeraj Chopra at a press meet held online was asked if Arshad Nadeem, gold medal winner at the Paris 2024 Olympics would come to India. He did not have much to say, since the NC invitational javelin meet to be held in Bengaluru on May 25 will be a good opportunity to see world class maestros.

Forget Arshad Nadeem, every single visa being issued to Pakistanis even for medical treatment will come to a screeching halt. This is the price one pays for perpetuating terror. Pakistan knows it but is trapped by its own machinations, a rotten political system and the rogue ISI.