Just a few days ago, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote a letter to PM Shehbaz Sharif seeking an official clearance for the national cricket team to travel to India –the host of this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. In response to this, he constituted a 14-member committee headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari which will reach a conclusive decision on the matter after giving due consideration to all complications associated with our participation.
The matter of attending the World Cup in India is not to be taken lightly and in fact, has been a recurring debate amongst key government officials. In the recent past, we have seen both sides—India and Pakistan—engaged in contentious diplomatic maneuvers when it comes to the sporting world. It began with India’s rejection to participate in the Asia Cup being hosted by Pakistan, and now has boiled down to our participation in the ICC World Cup. Any decision we make in this regard will have over-arching and long-term ramifications so the hesitance shown by policy makers in deciding the best course of action can be understood and sympathised with.
At the same time however, we seem to be going in circles. For over a month now, this issue of participation has been broadcasted in the news, and multiple stakeholders have been involved to make a decision that, by the looks of it, no one wants to make. In doing so, we are delaying the inevitable. The fact of the matter remains, India is going to be hosting the World Cup and there is no going around this inconvenience. Our reluctance to participate is rooted in the moral high ground we have chosen to take, and rightfully so. Simultaneously however, our national team has immense influence and stature within the cricketing world, and its absence will truly be felt if we chose to pull out of the competition.
The government has dutifully attached a significance to this problem, and it is good to see that a committee consisting of 14 key state officials will engage in an in-depth discussion to reach a decision. The hope now is that this matter will finally be laid to rest after months of deliberation and indecision; no matter what path we choose to take, we must be confident in the fact that the officials will make the right choice but the fact of the matter remains, we must pick a path to tread on.