A diplomatic row has erupted between Pakistan and India following the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams' bidding. The Foreign Office spokesman said on Thursday that the exclusion of the players "is a decision influenced by variables extraneous to sports." Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna claimed that "the government has nothing to do with the IPL.
So Pakistan will have to draw that line between where the government of India is connected, and where the government of India is an actor." Indeed, the official body, the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), had nothing to do with the bidding process. Players are 'bought' by the IPL franchises, owned mostly by Indian film actors.
Yet it is hard to believe that, unlike the past two IPL editions, this time none of the team owners was interested in the 11 Pakistani players, who included such highly rated stars as Shahid Afridi, Omar Gul, Sohail Tanvir, and some others who together lifted the Twenty20 World Cup for Pakistan only last summer. Reports suggest that the IPL management was worried about the Hindu extremist organisation Shiv Sena's threat to disrupt the matches if Pakistanis were to be included.
The team owners, therefore, are not really to blame considering that in the past, the Sena has attacked movie theatres to vent its anger against certain film personalities, and also vandalised cricket pitches in Mumbai and New Delhi, back in 1991 and 1999, to stop Pak-India matches in those cities.
The Indian government may not be directly responsible for what has happened, but it has not been helpful either. First, it delayed the visas, and then, according to press reports, it wouldn't give unequivocal guarantees about allowing Pakistani players' participation in the matches. Hence, the IPL management has cited 'availability' as a reason for keeping Pakistan out of its matches.
Security has been an even bigger issue. The BCCI told the team owners they had to make their own arrangements, which of course would be both risky and costly businesses for any private party. Only the government had the capability to counter the Hindu extremists' threat, as it did on the previous two occasions, ensuring the game was played without any obstruction.
Its refusal to look after the players' security is fraught with unnecessary problems. The immediate reaction to the snub from the other side has been the cancellation of visits of a parliamentary delegation and a 'kabaddi' team to India. Notably, the parliamentary team's visit was cancelled after the Opposition pulled out its representative saying it would not join any delegation visiting India, "until India changes its attitude".
The Leader of the Opposition, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, also demanded a "complete ban" on screening of Indian films in Pakistan, which is likely to hurt the Indian film industry more deeply than the present episode has Pakistan's cricket. Tit-for-tat action will only harm the longer-term peace and stability of this region. Hopefully, Delhi will not allow things to aggravate any further, and do whatever is necessary to prevent things from getting uglier.
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