DESPITE the uneasy relationship over not handing over terrorists involved in the Mumbai attack, intermittent firing on borders and regular attempts at infiltration by Pakistan, the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India has cleared the rival cricket team’s tour of India. The government, besides assuring foolproof security of players, also agreed to issue visas to more than 5,000 spectators from across the border.  All is well, but Indian leaders need to bear in mind that Pakistan can never be trusted, even if it means playing cricket or exchanging trade and goods.

According to the BCCI, the first match is due to kick-off on December 25. Incidentally, the arch-rivals have not played a bilateral series since Pakistan’s tour of India in 2007, after cricket ties were snapped following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
As a matter of fact, there have been several attempts by the Pakistan Cricket Board, in recent months, to convince BCCI to resume matches, but the suggestion was turned down every time by Indian authorities, as Islamabad has remained non committal in prosecuting perpetrators of Mumbai terror attacks.

Not surprisingly, the decision to revive Indo-Pakistan cricket ties has evoked mixed reactions. While some people have strongly opposed the decision, others have welcomed the move, saying it will cement the frail relationship between the arch-rivals. The government is also hopeful that the gesture would help to normalise relations with its immediate neighbour. It is another matter that Pakistan’s response to terrorism has so far been disappointing.

How funny! While India cleared its rival team’s visit, Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked fire along the Line of Control (LoC) and international border in Jammu and Kashmir on the same day. In such circumstances, it would be too much to expect Pakistan to fall in line.

Truly, as far as cricket is concerned, there is no harm in India and Pakistan playing the matches, as it will be a good move for both the countries and the game. The cricket buffs in both countries will get a chance to witness some great matches, which everybody is enthusiastically waiting to watch. But the problem remains that Pakistan has not so far shown any positive response to deal firmly with jihadis and jihadi organisations operating freely from its territory.

Predictably, New Delhi would end up fooling itself by extending a hand of friendship to Pakistan through cricket diplomacy.

The sports diplomacy is unlikely to work for too long.

No doubt, India and Pakistan are trying to establish diplomatic relations, but the Kashmir dispute usually overshadows their relationship. There have been numerous attempts to improve the relationship, but all these failed due to Pakistan’s persistent stand to discuss Kashmir dispute first and other issues later. Since independence, the two countries have fought three major wars and one undeclared war, and have been involved in numerous armed skirmishes and military stand-offs.  

Incidentally, the Kashmir dispute has been at the heart of all of these conflicts.
Well, permanent peace in the subcontinent is nigh impossible while Pakistan remains obsessed with Kashmir and paranoid about India. Peace will remain a pipe dream until Pakistan sheds antipathy towards India. For political consumption, both the countries maintain that they are inching towards peace and mutual cooperation, but the facts speak otherwise.

This bonhomie was witnessed recently at the United Nations, where Pakistan once again resorted to its old tactic of raking up the Kashmir issue.              

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari vociferously sought a solution to the Kashmir imbroglio under the U.N.’s resolution.

So far, memories of the Mumbai killings remain strong; it will not be easy for Indians to wholeheartedly welcome Pakistani players and the cricket buffs. There is no denying the fact that the non-revival of cricket ties would hurt the sensitivities of Pakistani cricket fans, but India must think of the sensitivities of its people, who have lost their near and dear ones in Mumbai and other terror attacks. It is strange that instead of securing justice for the kins of terror victims, the Government of India is going overboard by such overtures of peace towards Pakistan.

It is imperative upon India now to pressure Islamabad to hand over all the “most wanted’ terrorists hiding in Pakistan, and ask it to stop sending them across the border. On the other side, Islamabad should of its own dismantle the entire terror network, ban ISI, and smash the nexus between the Pak army and the fundamentalists. Otherwise, all the diplomacies -cricket, cultural, business etc, will remain futile.

Former cricketer and the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek Party has rightly said:  “The future of Indo-Pak cricket will depend on how the peace process goes.”