Sports Diplomacy vs. Feelings of a true Indian.

Earlier this month the schedule for the cricket series between India and Pakistan to be held in India was announced. The said series was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs despite the fact that our enigmatic neighbour has done nothing but protected the perpetrators involved in the terrorist attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008. The terrorist who was caught red handed is a citizen of Pakistan and he along with all others came to Mumbai with a single point agenda which is very apparent now after their ordeals. Every evidence implies just one thing and that is involvement of Pakistan in some capacity.

While it was very much on the expected lines that the ‘neighbour’ will not respond to the charges made but it was rather frustrating to see our own government submit the way it did. India has not forced or it has not pushed Pak to the wall. And on the top of it the nations join hands for a cricket series; it is like someone killing a member of our family and then we forgive him and join him for a party. Perhaps, I forgot that those running the Central Government are devoid of a body part called ‘Heart’, but what about the people who lost their lives fighting for the safety of the country. They have been dealt a rough hand here. That culprit ‘terrorist’ is still enjoying his life and sad thing is that government has spent crores of rupees for his well being.

I don’t understand this concept of ‘Sports Diplomacy’ for essentially sport is a game played between two teams representing two different nations. And if that nation has hurt the other one by way of terrorist attack you don’t play anything with that nation. Everything comes second to the national interest and the national interest was in not inviting the neighbour for a cricket series. The true Indian in me is deeply disappointed with the actions of government but then this government is notorious for ignoring the interests of people and doing what it does the best i.e. corruption. The apex cricketing body in the country BCCI also did the unthinkable by pushing the talks for an Indo-Pak series. BCCI has been very professional by gliding the questions raised to them to government but some very down the line they need to consider that a thing of national interest or importance is more significant than the revenues generated from cricket. Sunil Gavaskar has been very vocal against this series.

But, all said and done the series will be held as per the said schedule and I can say only one thing that people of Mumbai have been betrayed.