On May 9, Pakistani cricket fan Farid Khan, who has worked with Pakistan Super League and Lanka Premier League and founded Cricket Den, wrote a long and “heartfelt” note to the President of the Asian Cricket Council and Honorary Secretary of BCCI Jay Shah, requesting him to let the Indian cricket team play matches during upcoming Asia Cup in Pakistan.
The cry for help came after the reports that the Asia Cup will most likely move out of Pakistan and will be held in Sri Lanka. Pakistan may not even participate in the tournament if it moves out to another country. Earlier, there were reports that the tournament may take place in the UAE. The final decision is to be taken by the end of May.
Are Pakistani fans living under the rock for too long?
Farid expressed his dismay that the Indian cricket team did not visit Pakistan since 2008. However, he missed a crucial point about why the team never went to Pakistan. After the deadly Mumbai terror attack of November 26, 2008, the so-called cricket diplomacy stopped between the two countries.
He further claimed that being a regular fan of India and Pakistan has nothing to do with the geopolitics and politics of either country. Interesting to see Farid talking about no interest in geopolitics when he used the term “Azad Kashmir”, which the Pakistanis use for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, in March 2023 when an earthquake hit the area.
Farid claimed the sportsmen have acted as ambassadors and bridges between the two countries. Either Farid lives under some rock, or he is completely cut off from news reports because the sportsmen from Pakistan have shown their anti-India colours on countless occasions. There is no need to go back in the far past either.
In a recent interview, former Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad said, “If you are destined to die, you will die. Life and death are in the hands of the Almighty.” Miandad wanted India not to care for the security of its players and let them visit Pakistan even if there were death threats. Is such a statement anywhere close to building bridges or acting as an ambassador?
Furthermore, Miandad had angrily asked India to “go to hell” in February this year when the reports came out that it was almost definite that Indian Cricket Team would not visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup. That is very “parliamentary” of the ex-cricketer to say about India.
Pakistan categorically said it would boycott World Cup 2023 if India refused to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup.
Chronology of India’s Objection to Pakistan Being Asia Cup Host
It all started in June 2020 when Pakistan was expected to host Asia Cup 2020. At that time, India objected to Pakistan being the tournament host. A meeting occurred between ACC and PCB, after which PCB said it would let Sri Lanka host Aisa Cup 2020.
Owing to Covid-19, the tournament was postponed to June 2021, and Sri Lanka was to host the tournament. However, in March 2021, India qualified for the final match of the World Test Championship, which clashed with the June 2021 schedule of the Asia Cup. The tournament was again postponed to 2023.
Pakistan was scheduled to host the 2022 Asia Cup, and ACC postponed the tournament till 2023, so multiple meetings were held to decide who would host the Asia Cup in 2023. In October 2021, Ramiz Raja, then-PCB chairman, confirmed Pakistan would host Asia Cup 2023.
In October 2022, BCCI secretary and ACC President Jay Shah announced India would not travel to Pakistan for the tournament because of the political tension between the two countries. He added the Asia Cup would be held at a “neutral venue”.
Irked by the statement, PCB called for an emergency meeting with the ACC board. PCB claimed the statement would impact Pakistan’s participation in World Cup 2023 and other ICC tournaments in the 2024-2031 cycle.
In December 2022, Ramiz Raza said Pakistan might consider withdrawing hosting rights.
Since February 2023, there has been an argument between PCB, ACC and BCCI about the venue of the Asia Cup. Initially, it was proposed that the tournament could be shifted to UAE. However, later reports suggested Sri Lanka may host the tournament. Notably, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have supported the move.
Anti-India statements will not help
Former Pakistani cricket Shahid Afridi recently targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking about Asia Cup. On May 5, he reportedly said, “Ever since Modi has come to power, you can’t expect anything from him in Pakistan’s favour. I am only talking about Modi. I have no expectations from him whatsoever. He will only harm us; I don’t see him doing anything in our (Pakistan’s) favour.”
His statement came only weeks after he called on PM Modi to allow cricket matches between the neighbouring countries on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket. In another statement, he blamed the Indian government for not letting players visit Pakistan.
This was not the first time Shahid Afridi spewed venom against India. In February 2023, speaking to Samaa TV about Asia Cup, he said, “If anyone cannot stand on his own feet, then the decision to make such strong calls is not easy. They have to look at plenty of things. India agar aankhe dikha raha hain or taking such a strong stance, then they have made themselves that strong, hence they can talk like this. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have the courage. In the end, make yourself strong and then take decisions.”
During the Legends League in Qatar, Shahid Afridi sparked controversy by giving autographs on Indian Tricolour while keeping the flag on his thigh. Indian cricket fans slammed Afridi and called for action against the former Pakistani skipper, stating that disrespecting the flag in any form is a crime.
From time to time, Afridi has supported separatism in Kashmir. Characterising separatist leader and terrorist Yasin Malik as a freedom fighter of “Kashmir’s struggle”, Afridi painted Malik as a victim of “fabricated charges” even though Malik had pleaded guilty to all charges levelled against him.
“India’s continued attempts to silence critical voices against its blatant human rights abuses are futile. Fabricated charges against #YasinMalik will not put a hold on # Kashmir’s struggle for freedom. Urging the #UN to take notice of unfair & illegal trails against Kashmir leaders,” Shahid Afridi tweeted.
Shahid Afridi was also the star attraction of the Kashmir Premier League, which was held in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK), where he warned BCCI during his stay.
For former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, a cricket match against India was always a ‘jihad.’
Former Pakistan cricket captain and ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan had once said he viewed a cricketing contest against India not as a mundane match but as jihad. The revelation was made by former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, G Parthasarathy, who a Pakistani journalist once told that when he asked Imran Khan how he bowls with such fire against India, he responded, ‘Whenever I play against India, I don’t treat it as a game, I think of Kashmir and treat it as a jihad’.
Waqar Younis rant against Hindus
During a talk show last year, Waqar Younis praised the Pakistani players for offering Namaz at the ground. He was visibly gloating over the fact that Namaz was offered in “front of Hindus”. He said, “The manner in which Babar and Rizwan batted, sensible yet aggressive, the strike-rotation, the look on their faces, it was amazing. The best thing, what Rizwan did, Mashallah, he offered the Namaz on the ground surrounded by Hindus, that was really something very special for me.”
Shoaib Akhtar endorsed the two-nation theory
In an interview on the Indian channel Aaj Tak, Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently endorsed the two-nation theory that led to the partition of India. While speaking on a cricket show organised by the channel, Shoaib Akhtar said he believed in the two-nation theory. Shoaib Akhtar had lent his support to an extremist ideology as well. In a news chat show, Shoaib Akhtar advocated the Islamic supremacist fantasy of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, stating that Islamic forces will capture Kashmir and invade India.
Saeed Anwar had said all non-Muslims would be incinerated in hellfire
Former Pakistani batsman Saeed Anwar was another cricketer who supported Islamic supremacism and treated non-Muslims contemptuously. In a meeting, Anwar said all non-Muslims would be incinerated in hellfire, and it was the duty of Muslims to save them by converting them to Islam.
The list of anti-India Pakistani crickets is long and never-lasting. India has maintained its stand that diplomacy and terrorism cannot walk simultaneously. The Indian cricket team has not visited Pakistan since 2008 and has no plans to visit Pakistan anytime in the near future.
Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled for September.
