The BCCI’s decision to not send the cricket team to Pakistan for Champions Trophy raises a question: Should the political acrimony between the two countries impact sporting ties? (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)
Nov 15, 2024 04:52 IST First published on: Nov 15, 2024 at 06:52 IST
Given the nationwide love for the game, India should play cricket anywhere and everywhere. As someone who employed cricket as a peace-making instrument in Kashmir through the organisation of the Kashmir Premier League (KPL) in 2011 and 2012, I retain confidence in the game’s “beyond sports” credentials. KPL was all about restoring dignity and pride to the people of Kashmir once the situation came under control there. We were not building bridges but rather cementing relationships and trust.
So, if someone uses this analogy to suggest that cricket and the love for it among the people of India and Pakistan can make it an instrument of peace between our two nations, would I be tempted to fall for it? The answer is, not really. Because even while the people of the two nations have no real problem with each other, there is the looming presence in Pakistan of a deeper-than-most deep state. Its multiple layers lead to a grey zone with threat perceptions difficult to realistically estimate — peace and hostility may depend on the time of the day.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (ODI) is being hosted by Pakistan from February 19 to March 9 next year. Only three venues are being used for the 15 matches being played — Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. India has asked for a change from Lahore to Dubai for all its matches as the Indian government does not want our team playing in Pakistan. The ICC earlier accepted the hybrid model under which India played Pakistan in multi-nation tournaments only but in a third country. However, here there is a problem because of Pakistan’s ownership of the tournament, its pride and more. Hence, the impasse.
India’s policy continues without compromise. First and foremost, it does not wish to convey a dichotomous policy of fighting Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and allowing a business-as-usual approach elsewhere. That would allow Pakistan to legitimise its proxy support to terrorism in J&K. Our stance would find little credence in the face of international understanding of Pakistan as a core centre of global terror. Sports is a means of projection of normalcy. Hence, an incorrect idea of the geopolitical dynamics would emerge. For Pakistan, a nation under constant international scrutiny, every positive act in the domain of international relations is a plus point. The visit of an Indian cricket team to Pakistan, under these circumstances, would be an incorrect indicator of the internal security situation and the legitimacy of the government which has come to power by illegal suppression of the opposition. If India, suffering the travails of Pakistan’s sponsorship of cross-border terror, is itself willing to re-establish sporting ties with it there would be no grounds for the international community to name and shame it.
Naming and shaming Pakistan for its support for terror has been India’s constant endeavour and it has often succeeded but not always. Pakistan would get big power endorsement if India is seen as pursuing a line of normalising the bilateral relationship. Even External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar while at Islamabad last month, exercised full caution with his statements and body language. Displaying excellent diplomatic skills, he ensured no warmth was exuded by his presence which was purely a responsibility towards SCO.
The Pakistan government will obviously not take kindly to India’s proposal to let the ICC allow it to follow the same old hybrid approach. It would seek a ban on India but for the fact that it is aware that India is the golden goose of international cricket which allows it to rule the roost. Pakistan agreeing to the Indian proposal would be tantamount to an admission that the security situation is not entirely under the government’s control. It probably fears that more nations may then wish to also opt for a combination of venues — some in Pakistan, some elsewhere to reduce the exposure of their teams. There is nothing wrong if that were to happen because the truth would then prevail and Pakistan’s internal status of a state out of control would become evident.
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India is correct in consistently maintaining its policy in the face of a continuum of Pakistan-sponsored terror in J&K after the recent elections and in the context of the safety of the team when playing in Pakistan. We may forget all other things but the type of radicalised militant passion on Pakistan’s streets cannot be ignored. All three cities hosting the tournament have a notorious history of sub-conventional violence. The ideological terror centres of Muridke and Bahawalpur are close to Lahore and Rawalpindi. Tehreek-e-Taliban-e -Pakistan is attempting to showcase its return. Jaish e Mohammed and the Jamat-ud-Dawa (erstwhile LeT) have also failed to make an impact with their networks in J&K and in the rest of India. All of these would be seeking big targets under one or more layers of the deep state. India’s stance should convince the international community of the latent threats which exist under the façade of normalcy in Pakistan.
The writer is former corps commander of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps. Views are personal
