Double standards for England’s tour of India
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By Ali Khan, 13 Dec 2008 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
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- Champions Trophy, Cricket, Indian cricket, IPL, Jaipur
The re-arrival of the English cricket team in India has been hailed as a victory of courage and an ‘in your face’ to the terrorists as they threaten the very fabric of the free world.
Admittedly a horrendous act of terror took place in Mumbai, with innocent people once again being the victim of a flawed ideology and hijacked religious zeal.
Cricket, like many sports around the world, has the capacity to build bridges and bring a feeling of normalcy to the most dire of situations; hence I hail England’s resolve and India’s patience.
I cannot help but wonder, however, if the same English team would’ve returned back so soon had the attack took place in Pakistan.
Recent history tells us that the answer is no.
So what about this double standard? Does it then seem to people who dare to say it that perhaps the might of Indian cricketing dollar has been able to provide the three Lions the courage they so desperately needed [Wizard of Oz, take note]?
Or is it a case of open wallets, open hearts?
Similarly, the bravado and command shown by the ICC in displaying such strong political leadership largely went astray while dealing with Zimbabwe’s dictatorial terrorist.
It must be noted that the BCCI is the biggest supporter of the Zimbabwe cricket board.
Such double standards are apparent throughout the past couple of years. The Australian players decided to stay on for IPL after the Jaipur bombings, similarly the Aussie cricket team persisted in the UK after the 7/7 attacks.
And, most recently, England refusied to tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy but were brave enough to return to India.
It will be gross injustice to the Pakistani people if their team is isolated on such a scale. They will be questioning the seclusion policy, considering they are one of the biggest allies, and at the same time biggest victims, in the fight against terror.
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Glen said | December 13th 2008 @ 1:19pm | Report comment
Ali,
Yes, a Pakistan tour would have been cancelled because it is unfortunately home to most of the unrest in the region and is seen as an unsafe destination.
If the Pakistani government did more than pay lip service to their “fight” against groups like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and its parent body Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), it may seem a much surer destination. It seems odd to me that a “banned” organisation can still distribute it’s own newspaper freely in the Depalpur and Faridkot regions for example.
India is a stable, growing democracy. Pakistan, to many, seems to be slowly becoming an unstable, dangerous therocracy.
All of these factors must be taken into consideration when considering the merits of continuing with a tour. It really is up to Pakistan to stop the radicalisation of it’s people before it well ever be seen as safe.
aLi said | December 13th 2008 @ 1:44pm | Report comment
Glenn,
you make some valid points. however when you say they should do more it becomes a case of ‘never enough’. I am sure you will be aware of the massive military action in the north of Pakistan. Also if you pick up the paper you can tell that the ppl of Pakistan are too living with these attacks in the cities and towns.
My point is that the world of cricket stood up for India, and thats fantastic. There was a voice in unison to not let the terrorists win, and let cricket bring normalcy to the lives of indian people. Same help is desparately needed for the Pakistani people too. I truely hope this precedent set works in favour of Pak cricket. If england had a duty to tour India after these attacks I think India too has a similar duty.
sledgeross said | December 15th 2008 @ 9:05am | Report comment
I agree Ali, it reeks of money making hypocracy. Personally, I wouldnt be going to either country. I find the assertion that India is a stable, growing democracy to be perhaps too optimistic in painting a picture of tranquility. SUre, it may not be as unstable as Pakistan, but there are still enough militants (not just Islamic) to cause for pause, espcially when the recent terrorist targeted Westerners. Amyway, its a sports website, but I agree with Ali.
Ara said | December 15th 2008 @ 10:53am | Report comment
One country values religious tolerance and is an established democracy, while the other country is the centre of most terrorist activities with a history of military dictatorship! Who would you support?
But I agree for the cricket players and associations it is all about money!
Bushra said | December 15th 2008 @ 12:35pm | Report comment
I agree with everyone else who have commented here in regards to Pakistan’s problems. However what surprises me is the complete ignorance in regards to problems in India (and other places in the world); everything said about India is true if there is a “seemingly” added in front of it.
Rowdy said | December 16th 2008 @ 10:45pm | Report comment
Absolutely correct, Ali, it’s all about the money. Oh no, wait, England donated their fee to the terror victims. Well, never mind, I’m sure you can spin it in your narrow little mind to the detriment of the players. Anything but appreciate that they took a chance, recognised that turning up would be a morale-boost for Indians after the bombing and a couple of fingers to the bastards who committed the crimes.
What a sh*tty little article. And what you penned wasn’t much better.
brad said | December 19th 2008 @ 9:14pm | Report comment
look nobody boycotted the US after 9/11 so why on earth should they boycott india? Pakistan is a terrorist breeding ground possibly even funded by the government. Imagine a rogue dog attacks someone in your neighbourhood park, your neighbourhood is generally very safe. you do not boycott the park because of that incident after the authorities assure that in future the dogs will be contained, in the same light you will not willingly take a walk in a lion park knowing full well that the lions are aware that you are coming and the game rangers encourage the lions to feed on humans. If only we did not need oil then terrorism could have been contained in the desert.