The history of cricket diplomacy between India and Pakistan is fraught with complications. At times, it has been a crucial icebreaker and other times as a political signalling mechanism for the challenges that lie ahead. Indeed, the anticipation and excitement that accompanies a Pak-India match are very rarely felt in the world of sport. While cricket has been used to force the two countries closer together, it has also been used to diplomatically sanction the other when things get tough. India has often securitised cricket by not allowing bilateral matches.
After the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight in 1999, India cancelled its proposed tour to Pakistan, effectively withdrawing from the Asian Test Championship. In 2014, spectators at a cricket match in Lucknow watched as policemen hauled away a group of boys for ‘anti-state activities’. It was later revealed that they were Indians cheering for Pakistan, and therefore, liable to sedition charges. In South Asia, politics and cricket are closely interwoven. Nuclear talks have been settled, and wars fought alongside the sound of the ball hitting the boundary. But, in recent years, cricket diplomacy has taken the backseat. After India expressed reservations about its participation in the upcoming Asia Cup, hosted by its western neighbour, Pakistan quickly responded with an unofficial boycott of the World Cup set to take place in India later next month.
Rather than fostering mass nationalism, cricketing ties must create an opportunity for compromise and togetherness even when things seem doomed. Let’s not forget that a nuclear war was averted when Moriaji Desai and Zia-ul-Haq sat together to watch a game of cricket after which Desai instructed India’s intelligence agency, RAW, to halt its operations in Pakistan.
The present presents a very different picture-tensions between the two countries are at an all-time high against a backdrop of rising Hindu-Muslim animosity in India. But, perhaps we can take a cue from the past and use cricket to pave the way for a long overdue peace process that is impossible to initiate with political means, generating a spirit of camaraderie that will help both countries look past their many differences. *