- Opinions may differ on the subject matter, but undeniably, most Indian citizens would appreciate the decision of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to not send Team India to play in Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy. Several pundits and news editorials may not agree with the BCCI’s expected decision passionately arguing that politics and sports should never be spoken to in the same breath. However, the fact of the matter is the cross-border terrorism perpetrated by Pakistan’s deep state cannot be looked other way. Mind you, the dastardly terrorist acts are still emanating from across the border resulting in our brave soldiers getting martyred for the cause of the nation. Worryingly, the number of such sacrifices is rising by the day.
PC: The Economic Times
- This is despite assurances from successive Pakistani leadership not allowing terrorism to emanate from its soil. This has been communicated from different platforms over the years yielding little positive outcome on the ground. As you are aware, a slew of terrorist attacks in the Jammu region over the last few months has caused the loss of precious lives of our brave soldiers defending the nation. It’s easy for the boardroom mandarins to make grandiose announcements like not mixing politics with any sports. For them, boycotting or not visiting a place like Pakistan to participate in multinational events is anathema. Nonetheless, asking the families of those martyred soldiers about mixing politics with sports will raise questions that cannot be easily answered.
- Agreed, looking from the prism of sports alone may encourage thinking about participation even in a country like Pakistan, but the never-ending terrorism-related activities emanating from the region have put paid to normalization efforts initiated by the Indian government. Remember, when the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pakistan on a peace mission, the Kargil misadventure was already brewing. The Kargil war ensued, and hundreds of soldiers laid down their lives to defend the country’s sovereignty from the invading Pakistani troops. Also, note that when PM Narendra Modi made an unscheduled stop in Pakistan during his first term as an outreach measure, the Pakistani military reciprocated with the Pulwama and Uri attacks.
PC: Mint
- It’s worth reiterating that the Pakistani military existence largely depends on the vitriolic, antagonistic, and anti-India rhetoric as well as perpetrating terrorist acts sporadically. Now that the Indian government is all set to initiate holding of the state assembly elections in the J&K area, the Pakistani terrorist factory is working overtime to disturb the peace and goodwill prevalent in the region. Indian government’s friendly and peaceful overtures have been consistently met with dastardly acts resulting in the sad martyrdom of soldiers. Thus, there is no point in allowing Team India to visit Pakistan to participate in the Champions Trophy brandishing our paradigm shift of not mixing politics with sports. Cricket can wait, we cannot overlook the supreme sacrifices.
