India-Pakistan cricket woes and a worrying crisis in Kurram

Express Tribune (December 20) expresses dissatisfaction with the ICC’s decision saying, “the fact that the ICC for reasons of better fortune and clout got on its knees to opt for the hybrid model is unfortunate and casts a stigma of capitulation.” However, it praises the PCB that held its ground, which “exhibited not only astuteness and courage as it refused to give in for the tournament scheduled to kick off on its soil on February 19, it also made other sporting teams register that it’s politics for India at the end of the day.”

Dawn (December 20) bemoans that cricket itself was “unable to bridge the gap” between the two nations: “It is the passion for the game that unites the two nations and it should have stayed that way with sports and politics kept separate. Unfortunately, cricket continues to bear the brunt of the frayed diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan.”

Kurram crisis

Last month, a deadly attack near Parachinar, Kurram district, on a convoy of around 200 vehicles with Shia passengers claimed the lives of 43 people. Since then, clashes between tribal groups have spiralled, leading to 130 deaths. With the region on a knife-edge and the district’s only route to Peshawar blocked, Parachinar has been closed off. As a result, citizens have been grappling with food and medicine shortages while hospitals are fast running out of oxygen and other essential supplies.

Instead of political point-scoring, as the PTI seems to want to do when it decided to skip the meeting on Kurram’s crisis, Dawn (December 19) demands that the state “act decisively… [it] must recognise that allowing such hardship to continue undermines its basic duty to protect citizens’ well-being. The people of Kurram deserve better than to be prisoners of geography and tribal conflicts in their own land.”

Similarly, News International (December 18) says, “The situation demands action, not excuses. The KP government must urgently restore medical supplies, disarm militant factions, and secure key routes to ensure aid reaches those in need.” Citing the politicisation of this crisis, the editorial says, “They [the citizens] need leadership willing to rise above party lines, end the sectarian violence, and provide immediate relief to those suffering.”

A national emergency

With Pakistan and Afghanistan being the only two countries that have yet to eradicate polio according to the WHO, Pakistan began a week-long campaign for immunisation targeting more than 44.7 million children under the age of five across 143 districts. The recent increase in cases was worrying and the media attributes the country’s inability to erase it completely to misinformation and in some cases, militant attacks that hamper progress and deter medical staff from visiting such regions.

The Nation (December 16) demands that the government pursue self-reliance with the WHO having recently terminated the contracts of external polio vaccine officers in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions that routinely witness violence: “It is high time the state takes responsibility… Amidst this dismal scenario, the efforts of field healthcare workers deserve recognition. These individuals operate in challenging environments, often at great personal risk, to reach the most vulnerable.”

Daily Times (December 19) also reiterates the need to ensure the safety of medical workers saying, “In light of the escalating polio crisis, a simple declaration of a nationwide emergency is not enough. The national response framework should include increased security measures to protect healthcare workers, and intensified vaccination campaigns in high-risk areas, emphasising greater public awareness to dispel myths and misconceptions about polio vaccination.”

adya.goyal@expressindia.com