It is not the first time, and certainly not the last, that the political leaders of the two countries will try to solve a problem emanated at the borders, on a cricket field after failing to solve it on the table. We tried this in1987 with Mr. Zia Ul Haq then later with Mr. Musharraf. If something substantial would have come out on those occasions then we would have been able to recall it but we can't. Which simply suggests that not much was attained out of the so called "Cricket Diplomacy".
I sincerely believe in dialogue. I believe in peace and its dire need at the moment. But I doubt that a 100 overs game will solve it. A problem of 60 years can't be solved in a matter of 2 innings. It is a match between two arch rival nations, both on and off the pitch, but at the end of the day, its a cricket match to be savored with sportsman spirit. Its entertainment of the highest quality at the highest level between two high quality teams. Nothing more. Nothing less. Lets not make a big deal out of it in terms of bringing peace and stability to this part of the woods.
If cricket is possibly the answer to the questions posed by both India and Pakistan then a possible solution is to HAVE A CRICKET STADIUM in J&K. Lets have Indo-Pak matches only in that stadium, to be attended by all the politicians and diplomats and believers in this fluke idea. What fun would that be! Just imagine India and Pakistan playing a match in Kashmir attended by the who's who of both countries in the presence of thousands of spectators of J&K. If cricket can solve problems then this is worth a shot.
If cricket is the solution then instead of the two Prime Ministers, lets have Dhoni and Afridi solve the Kashmir issue. Have a match at J&K stadium, special invitation to all the parties at logger heads including Hurriyat, JKLF and National Conference. Have a late night IPL-like party. Possibly, the next day will have a new dawn. Everybody will feel CRICKETED and not in a mood to fight and we shall have peace.Simple!
But I do not see terrorists dropping their weapons and picking up cricket kits for the love of the game. Its ludicrous to think that cricket can broker a deal between the two nations when there never has been a successful conversation. Every time there has been a meeting, nothing concrete has come out. The statements made to press conferences after such meetings are so cliched and repetitive that I can write a statement that will come out after this WC semi-final match right now, with 80-90% accuracy! There will be statements like 'we have to continue dialogue, peace is important(well did we ever doubt that!) and Kashmir is the core issue( as if we never knew)'.
If you want to solve the issue, vision and execution plans are imperative. Unfortunately, these are the two things missing since the problems began. If you want to achieve something concrete, you don't need cricket matches or solemn occasions to do it. Peace is not an event but a process. If a high-end meeting every 4 or 5 years can achieve peace, then some one is living in a fool's paradise.
The only set of people who have benefited due to this invitation is Mr. Gilani and his delegation. It is because under the prevalent circumstances, it was impossible to get the tickets to this much awaited match. Punjab state assemly had requested its speaker to arrange tickets for the MLAs when the match is in their home state. So in such a situation, Mr. Gilani must thank our PM for getting him an opportunity to watch the match, and that too free.
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