No Pakistani can ever forget March 03, 2009, when terrorists belonging to a sectarian outfit, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) attacked the bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Six members of Sri Lankan cricket team were injured while six policemen and two civilians lost their lives. That was the last day of international cricket in Pakistan; country after country refused to send their cricket teams to Pakistan on security grounds, thanks to the terror message sent out by LeJ and other Taliban affiliated groups. It’s now six years after that unfortunate incident in Lahore and no question Pakistani cricket quality and morale have suffered tremendously during this time but most affected were the Pakistani cricket lovers who were not able to watch live international cricket on their homegrounds.
We are grateful to Zimbabwe for agreeing to send its cricket team to Pakistan, a breakthrough after six long years of isolation. Zimbabwean team will play three One Day and two T20 international matches in Pakistan with the tour starting from May 22. Sorry, when I say Pakistan I mean Lahore as all the matches will be played in Lahore.
One would wonder why such discrimination towards other venues in the country? Why are cricket lovers of other major metropolis such as Karachi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad and Rawalpindi being deprived of watching international crickets on their home grounds? What’s the message for cricket lovers in these cities — Lahore is in Pakistan or Pakistan is in Lahore?
If someone criticises such a step-motherly discrimination by claiming that Zimbabwean team is not visiting Pakistan but Punjab only, how do you refute such a sarcastic comment? What’s the message for the world — only Lahore is a safe place in Pakistan, no other city? LeJ is Punjab based terrorist outfit; why should the rest of the country suffer if Punjab government keeps these outfits next to its heart?
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia