Anand Philar
So, the Pakistani cricketers are crying foul after being ignored at the IPL auction. Sadly, a section of Indian media is not far behind in talking such nonsense like “friendship” and “decorum”. Honestly, these guys are not in touch with reality which is that the nation’s government is supreme and it decides what’s best regardless of whether you agree or not.
If the Pakistani “stars” thought they would rake in the moolah by commanding fancy rates just because they won the T20 World Cup last year, then they are as gullible as our Indian Media that has accused the franchise owners of “lack of respect” to the cricketers from across the border.
The irrefutable fact is that sport can never ever be separated from politics. I am amused by the theory that sports bring peoples together and help ease tension between countries. All this sounds nice and pretty as you like, but in reality, sport is merely a tool in the hands of the politicians, if not the government.
It was always an one-sided affair
A game like cricket in the sub-continent guarantees visibility and mileage to the politicians. So, both the Indian and Pakistani governments leverage the cricket to score a point. For instance, we hardly notice Pakistanis routinely participating in various non-cricketing tournaments in India. Earlier this month, a Pakistani took part in the Chennai Open qualifying rounds, but his presence went unnoticed.
It is fine to take a high moral stand on the IPL issue, but quite another to acknowledge and accept reality that the core of the problem is cross-border terrorism that influences the relationship between India and Pakistan. Cricket, or sport for that matter, is barely a speck on the politician’s radar that is crowded with other pressing and weighty matters involving people’s safety and lives.
As regards the IPL auction, the franchise owners seemed more in tune with the current scenario in the wake of the 26/11 attack carried out by Pakistan-based terrorists. In the event, the Indian government is obviously cautious of its dealings with its neighbouring counterpart. If cricketers are caught in the cross-fire, then so be it. Tough luck, I would say.
If you were to believe that sports can bring two nations together in peace, then why do you need a foreign policy at all? Just keep indulging in sports with your neighbours and all is hunky-dory. No need for a massive army or weapons. Of course, this is a highly simplistic perspective, but the point is that the two governments would gladly promote bilateral sporting exchanges only if the political climate is right.
Kotla stadium banned for one year for dangerous pitch
The Mumbai terror attack has left a deep scar in the Indian psyche. The Pakistani government is only too aware of this and hence they instructed its cricketers to skip the 2009 IPL that eventually got shifted to South Africa in view of the General Elections in India. Further, the current relationship between the two countries is at best tenuous.
Under the circumstances, Pakistani presence in the 2010 IPL would have been akin to waving a red cape at a bull. No franchise owner would like to deal with additional security hassles of having to protect a Pakistani cricketer. It would be not much a duty as an avoidable nuisance.
I fully endorse the decision by the franchise owners to ignore the Pakistani cricketers, though of course, a little more grace by having their names excluded from the auction list would have been preferable. But it is too late now and we will have to live with it.
Reverting to sport as a political instrument, history has enough instances where international sporting contests were shamelessly used to promote ideology. The Olympic Games is a classic example. In 2008, China leveraged the Games to showcase the country; further back, Hitler used the 1936 Games to highlight “Aryan Supremacy” and his agenda; the 1972 Games in Munich were a bloodbath with Palestinians killing Israeli athletes; the 1976 Games were boycotted by African nations; Americans and her allies stayed away from 1980 Moscow Olympics and the erstwhile USSR reciprocated in 1984.
Bowlers set up the victory for us: Sehwag
Elsewhere, sporting venues and events have been used by political protestors. So, it is only a misplaced sense of idealism that makes one believe that sports and politics can be kept apart. The two are entwined in an unholy embrace.
So, it is pointless casting stones at the franchise owners. They might be millionaires twice over, but they are still Indian subjects and mere pinheads on the political map. It is time then to put away the placards and get on with the game.
