The relations with a neighbour like Pakistan have been prone to extreme swings. Whenever tensions run high India toys with multiple choices on how to rein in Pakistan’s bellicosity. It is, however, a moot point whether art and sporting relations should also be subject to these litmus tests of hyper nationalism. Art and sport may not easily be separated from the politics of international relations, but mature nations have a way of handling these things. However, India comes under pressure from extreme opinions in this. What makes this aggressive round of isolating Pakistan worse is the cricket board, headed by a ruling party politician, sees it fit to put out a call to rule out all ties.
While not seeking to play Pakistan beyond multilateral events had been a fair approach, where the BCCI is going wrong is in introducing this nationalistic element in sporting ties. At the height of the Kargil war back in 1999, England had no problem hosting India and Pakistan at Manchester. Ironically, cricket ties were somehow always in inverse proportion to diplomatic relations. Pakistani artistes may have been hounded out of the country by lumpen elements. However, cultural affinities have invariably been the most sensible element of people to people relationships regardless of what the rulers and the military brass on the other side of the border thought about it. There is no reason why art and sport cannot be differentiated from other aspects of relations, including trade.
