Not long ago, I heard a scholar in a University’s masjid that one day he saw one of his acquaintances sulking. He and some other friends noticed that despite being in company of other people this otherwise chatty, socially amicable person didn’t utter a single word that day. They were all grown men with children. The scholar thinking something must have been troubling him at home asked, ‘What’s wrong with him’. He remained still, his head on the table and  replied in cracking voice “Javed Miandad ko Opener Bhaijne ki kia zarurat thi”
(Why did they sent Javed Miandad as opener in the field?)

I think This scenario  pictures beautifully the state of mind of a very large (probably majority) number of people of Pakistan after losing a cricket match with India. The whole nation is heartbroken. I cannot and will not object on this state of  mind (although some reactions can be /should be discussed by some population psychologists) because the very idea that made cricket fans of my country crazy-enthusiastic in watching India defeated, stems from a strong reaction to the cruel, barbaric postures and atrocities that Indian state has been adopting against the  Indian Muslims and Kashmiris in the far and near past.

The objection lies in a small bulb that suddenly got lit in my brain of mine  which was subconsciously searching for reasons as to why Russian President Putin postponed his long-awaited, 1st-ever trip to Pakistan. The same trip that was of an immense & probably utmost importance to Pakistan as well as Russia not only due to the changing dynamics of the region (Af-Pak) but also the potential market and investment opportunities for both. In plain words, it would have helped Pak made some not just DOD (Dept of Defence) MoUs but also helped our economy better. Next day Pakistan lost the cricket match to India.

Turns out, India understandably does not want Russians to help Pakistan and Russians do not want to lose India, one of their largest arms-market with trades over 9 Billion dollars per year.
This made me wonder what I (an educated Pakistani) should should be sulking more about. The fact that we lost a match to India or that our economy is being incapacitated and industry is being shutdown permanently by crippling power-outages due to a lack of Hydro energy source (Kala-Bagh Dam being on top), the sponsorship of whose opposition is evidently executed by India
and due to the lack of foreign investment in SuperMega Project of Gawadar caused by chaos in Baluchistan, the perpetration of which are also clearly identifiable in Indian consulates across Durand line, an accusation repeated by IG Baluchistan as well as Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan.

So I wonder in times like this which match was more important, the match of real-time and real -life survival against an oppressing power or a cricket match between two nations?

Agreed diplomacy has always been a difficult battleground for Pakistan against India for a long time. But never have we encountered such insulting defeats like today. Agreed, the stupidity of a dictator made all the nations of the world turn on us & despite being a front-line ally, we’re the biggest victim of US policies. But did my Sindhi brethren ever thought whose agenda they are serving by blindly following politicians opposing the Kalabagh Dam. Did a thought like this ever crossed an educated Balochi’s mind who studies in Lahore and without ever being a victim of a racist encounter in his entire life, believes in it and practices it?

We all support the same cricket team yet reflect a bigoted state of mind when it comes to supporting  a cause the outcomes of which are far more greater than a cricket match. There is not a scarcity of reports today picturing what will a Pakistan of 2025 will look like. Barren lands, drought, famines , devalued currency, powerless cities, immense fuel shortages can probably be enough of lightning sparks for us today to read in dark the situation of tomorrow.

We should not have doubt any in our minds concerning the fact whose fault this is. We, with our own selection of this democratic government, are all responsible for whatever is going on and what will happen in this land a few years later. No one else, but we, can change tomorrow for us and our generations to come. I sincerely hope my fellow countrymen realize that in time and  choose their leaders with the same zeal and enthusiasm they have for our cricket team.

May Allah bless my nation with wisdom to differentiate good from evil, make good choices, and identify real significant matches from insignificant ones!

By the way, I don’t know what’s more ironic, I writing a full article to vent my grief of the cricket match or Failure of full state machinery in convincing Russian president to come here despite COAS visits to Russia to court him.

About the author

Hassaan Choudhry is a medical doctor by profession and a debater by passion fervently interested in politics and history.

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