Pakistan cricket would imperil its credibility and finances if it so much as envisages a boycott of the T20 World Cup in India. It is India that is, however, giving it a chance to do some posturing regarding security with the Congress chief minister in Himachal Pradesh providing the handle. In recent times the Congress has not taken any political stand against sporting ties held in the country or abroad. It is curious then that the HP chief minister should rake up sensitivities regarding the sentiments in his state against Pakistan in the wake of the Pathankot airbase attack carried out by terrorists from Pakistan.
The CM, whose town Dharamsala has been picked to host the highly emotive cricket encounter between India and Pakistan thanks to the presence of the BCCI secretary who is a HP politician, has taken variable stands on hosting the match.
The Union home minister’s hint that the Centre would deploy forces in Dharamsala to bolster security at the picturesque ground seems to have worked as the antidote to the CM’s propensity to play politics over cricket. Pakistan toured India in 2012-13 after a heavily guarded Mohali ground had hosted the crucial 2011 World Cup semi-final. The Pakistani cricketers have never had reason to feel insecure here.
No one believes it is practically possible to completely isolate sport from politics. Even so, it did seem the Shiv Sena-like posture of the HP CM to scuttle a cricket match has stirred the pot with Pakistan now insisting on a security team visiting India to check out the environment. For the sake of normality, the scheduled fixture must go on in Dharamsala.
