Interference in Dharamsala T20 will hurt Indian pride
Any sporting contest involving India and Pakistan generates huge excitement. Given the nature of relations between the two countries, these contests come at a premium these days. Bilateral series in any major sport between these two countries - cricket or hockey - have become a thing of the past for reasons beyond control.
Over the last few months, the cricket series between the two nations was hyped up by the neighbours as the Pakistan Cricket Board was in almost a state of bankruptcy and wanted to play India in the UAE. For its part, between the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and the NDA government, there was no clear commitment on such a series as a result of which it never took off.
The ICC WorldT20 at home is round the corner and Pakistan has agreed to come and play after much dilly-dallying. The official reason was the PCB wanted clearance from their government to travel to India.
Sadly, days after Pakistan said the team will travel to India; there was a big surprise when Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh reportedly said it may not be possible for the state to provide security to the visiting team.
At first, the reaction was one of shock, as Dharamsala was named venue for this contest between India and Pakistan a long time back. To all of a sudden say that people in the state were hurt at the killings in Pathankot and their sentiments would be hurt if Pakistan played there seemed bizarre. Everyone knows there is more to it than meets the eye as the government in Himachal Pradesh belongs to the Congress.
Given the history of strained relations between Virbhadra Singh and current BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, also a BJP MP who hails from the same state, it called for magnanimity and commitment on the part of the state government to ensure the match went ahead.
As much as we talk of separating sport from politics, there is no denying the fact that at every opportunity, politicians rake up the issue of strained bilateral relations between the neighbours.
Had this been an India-Pak match in Mumbai, saying that Pakistan was not welcome to play at the Wankhede Stadium was understandable as the Shiv Sena has been known for its strong anti-Pakistan stand.
The point is, when Pakistan comes to play sport in India these days, it's not a bilateral series but a commitment to a larger sporting event. Their hockey team came and played at the South Asian Games last month and won gold. There was no anti-Pakistan slogan shouting and matches went ahead quite peacefully.
Just as the Indian government gave its commitment for the South Asian Games, one must not forget that for the ICC WorldT20 to be staged in India, a commitment has been made. The situation was pretty much the same in 2011 when India hosted the 50-over ICC World Cup and MS Dhoni lifted the trophy at the Wankhede Stadium.
To think a lot has changed politically after that is incorrect. Yes, there has been a change at the Centre and the NDA government has been in power for almost two years. Incidents do take place on the border regularly and what happened at the Air Force base in Pathankot sent shivers down the spines of people who watched it play out live on television.
An India versus Pakistan game in Dharamsala is something which involves pride for the hosts and the Himachal Pradesh government is not doing the right thing by raking up petty politics. This is a match where over 20,000 fans will get the chance to soak in the flavour and pressure of razor-sharp cricket at India's highest altitude international cricket ground.
On Friday, when home minister Rajnath Singh said the Centre was ready to send paramilitary forces for security in Dharamsala, he sent the right signal to the state government.
It is one thing to score brownie points in politics and quite another to show that national interest comes above everything else when India is hosting a team like Pakistan.
For its part, the Pakistan government is justified in wanting to send its own security apparatus to assess the situation in India at venues like Dharamsala. In fact, this has become an accepted practise, as even when India last toured Pakistan in 2006, they did send officials for a security check.
This is the time when Himachal Pradesh, seen as an enchanting tourist destination, needs to open its arms and welcome the Pakistan team. Cricket can heal deep wounds and sport can build bridges even amidst turmoil.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)