KARACHI – “At least they put on a fight and did not go down disgracefully. But this defeat is hard to swallow because it was against India,” said 30-year-old Ali, dismayed over the failure of the Pakistan cricket team to reach the World Cup final.
This summed up the gloom that descended upon the city on Wednesday night as the citizens – distraught with the 29-run defeat of the Pakistan cricket team to its arch-rivals India – returned home from several spots, where large screens were installed to show live coverage of the match.
All day long, the city resounded with aerial gunfire and cracker blasts, youngsters danced to the tunes of national songs and a roaring applause erupted in celebration of every fall of wicket of the Indian team. The youngsters took to the streets on motorcycles and cars holding national flags and patrolled various major roads of the city. This continued when the Pakistani team were batting and every boundary was greeted with a heavy burst of firing.
All this came to an end when the Pakistani wickets started to fall regularly and the match ended with the fall of Misbah ul Haq.
Bitterly disappointed, the citizens, who had gathered on the streets anticipating for a win at Mohali, returned to their houses as silence prevailed on the major thoroughfares.
An avid cricket fan, aghast by the defeat to India, threw away his television set from the first floor of his apartment buildings.
Some supporters even resorted to firing at the large television screens installed along the roads and roundabouts to vent their anger.
Some others enjoyed the match as sport and danced even after the defeat of as they were of the view that the national team fought until the last moment.
The Indian prisoners in city jails also watched the exciting match and celebrated the victory of their team.
The cricket match between Pakistan and India had brought routine life and business activities in the city to a standstill.
The provincial government had already announced a public holiday and many private offices also joined in. Markets and business centres were partially closed while traffic on the roads remained thin.
Meanwhile, at least 35 people were reportedly brought to different hospitals of the city with bullet injuries. Police Surgeon Hamid Payar confirmed 17 persons were injured due to aerial firing during and after the Indo-Pak semi-final match.
“Seven were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, five to Sindh Government Qatar Hospital, three at Civil Hospital Karachi and two more were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre,” he added.
