Pakistan News

Syed Ahsan Ali

ICC Champions Trophy which was to be held in Pakistan in September 2008 got postponed to October 2009 due to the security concerns of not one, not two but four ICC members. New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and England remained adamant throughout negotiations that inspite of Pakistan Cricket Board’s remarkably well job in persuading them to visit Pakistan they have genuine fears regarding the security of their players.

Without any semblance of doubt, it is indeed sad news for Pakistani cricket. It left Pakistan as an unwanted place to tour and Pakistani players in limbo for having no cricket from last few months to coming few months. India surprisingly backed our stance with utmost proficiency otherwise this postponement could have changed into a relocation of venue to Sri Lanka. It alteast gives Pakistan half a chance of hosting this tournament again in 2009.

But as honesty demands, do we need to look for reasons for this reluctance on the part of international cricketers to visit Pakistan? Are we convinced that their fears are misplaced and unjustified? Pakistani cricket forums are trying to paint this reluctance as sheer hypocrisy of international boards. Many hold a view that few months back when Jaipur erupted with bomb blasts which accounted several human lives at the time of IPL, no foreign cricketing soul thought about hiring a cab to airport because IPL was a gold mine.

Another view is that by boycotting Champions Trophy in Pakistan they could make room for more T20 Champions Leagues here and there which provide far more lucrative options for sponsors, players, organizers and corporations.

May be all these allegations and ill-conceived notions regarding the security of foreign players in Pakistan are false and over-emphasized, but do we also think that their fears are based on mere profit-hunger and hypocrisy than on judgment and truth? I think not.

Aren’t we all Pakistanis carrying fears of bombings and killings while walking in the streets of Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi? Don’t we operate under a psyche of fear of being harmed in our mosques, roads, hotels and now even in the hospitals? So is it fair on our part for asking favors that can cost them their lives? So in my opinion instead of wandering for made-up sympathies and alien assurances, we need to bring our house in order first.

I hope the situation improves by October 2009 and Pakistan can sucessfully host this prestigious tournament.

Just after a week of ex President Pervez Musharraf's resignation Karachi Stock exchange is declining way back to 1999 situation, Geo reported on their website,' Karachi Stock Exchange , like other segments of ...

ISLAMABAD, Aug 25: Poet Ahmad Faraz passed away in Islamabad on Monday night. He was 78.

His funeral prayer will be offered at the Islamabad Graveyard at 6pm on Tuesday, his son Shibli Faraz told a private TV channel. He leaves behind a widow and three sons.

He had been in a critical condition in the ICU at Shifa International hospital, Islamabad, since his return from the United States last month where he had suffered kidney failure and had been put on dialysis in a Chicago Hospital.
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