Daily Times

The decision of the Pakistan Government to hold the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final in Lahore on March 5 has shown that we are not a nation of sage souls. Rather we indulge in thoughtless decisions. The ‘sagacious’ Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), PSL top officials, the federal and the Punjab governments have been adamant that the March 5 final will be held in Lahore despite two bomb blasts, the first on February 13 left 14 people killed and over 100 injured while another blast on Thursday (February 23) killed nine people. Punjab Chief Minister’s statement that the decision has been taken ‘keeping in mind the interests of Pakistan’ is really strange. What kind of ‘interests’ the Punjab Chief Minister is talking about? Like others one would love to see international cricket return home. And no one should doubt the integrity and good faith of PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and PSL chief Najam Sethi and their attempts to bring international cricket home but at what cost. One should keep in mind that staging the PSL final won’t bring international cricket back to Pakistan. International teams will not flock back after one successfully hosted match, just like they didn’t when the PCB hosted Zimbabwe in 2015. It’s a harsh reality.

Due to security concerns following the recent wave of terror attacks in different parts of the country, there had been speculation that the PSL final may not be held in Pakistan after all. But the federal government decided not to ‘bow down’ before terrorism. These two incidents, in which innocent people lost their lives, have left serious question marks on the staging of the final. Why we have become so indifferent? Why we have inflated egos? Why we are exhibiting traits of narcissism? It seems that as a nation we have lost our souls. Events and activities have been banned in areas surrounding Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium until March 5. Roadblocks will be set up and traffic diverted. Policemen carrying AK-47s will line the route to the stadium, and snipers will be ready. The areas surrounding Gaddafi Stadium will literally be under curfew, causing a big a nuisance and inconvenience to the people of Lahore, particularly to school and college students.

The million dollar question which arises: would police and army be able to protect people just for one evening and that too at Gaddafi Stadium? There is no guarantee that the state’s arrangements will remain fool-proof. People walking towards the venue will remain vulnerable till they reach whatever security perimeter is set up. The state cannot guarantee the safety of everyone in attendance. It is lying if it says otherwise. Holding the PSL final is not an answer to terrorism. Normalcy is a fitting response to terrorism. The government and the organisers are doing it primarily for personal gains.

In the last couple of weeks situation tragically has changed and those who have lost their loved ones know how painful it has been for them. The staging of the PSL final in Lahore, no doubt, will be huge insult to them. Resilience in adversity is always a brave effort but not at the risk of staging a domestic cricket final. The matter has to be seen beyond personal preferences. Though the Pakistan Army and the federal government have vowed to give full support and tight security for the teams in Lahore, but is it worth to stage a domestic cricket match having no international stars of repute. Would there be any interest in the PSL final with Pakistan cricketers only whom we see in action in national tournaments frequently? Many foreign players have refused to travel to Lahore, and no one can fault them for the decision.

One can understand the disappointment of country’s cricket fraternity that since 2009, when the visiting Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore on their way to Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan has not been able to host international teams. The match was abandoned, Sri Lanka left the country and other international teams, already reluctant to tour Pakistan because of security concerns in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the USA, refused even to consider touring. That terror attack plunged Pakistan into sporting isolation. Pakistan has played its ‘home’ matches in the United Arab Emirates ever since, and none of the efforts of the PCB to lure overseas teams back have paid off. Despite sincere hopes, the status quo seems likely to linger on.

The PCB and PSL officials are of the view that holding the PSL final will bring international cricket back to Pakistan. Now this is an overstatement. If Pakistan is really a safe place for international cricketers then why such comprehensive arrangements are needed. In 2015, the PCB did manage (hefty sums of money were paid) lowly Zimbabwe to come and play a couple of ODIs under strict security but that too kind of misfired as an explosion in front of the Gaddafi Stadium cast a lot of aspersions in the minds of people. The question is: is it really worth going through all the threat and risks that are around us to hold the final of the domestic event? Are we not aware that the embassies and high commissions of the cricket-playing countries are the ones who matter most to allow or disallow their country’s teams to our shore? Even if a number of foreign players do dare and join the teams in the final, would that help in the final reckoning to lure teams?

The very fact that we are unable to host international teams in a home series since last eight years is itself distressing for all of us. Much as one would love to see Pakistan play at home one dread that playing this final is much too greater a risk. Why fret and expend energy over a cricket match when the country is bleeding from every corner? If God forbid, something goes wrong then the repercussions would be devastating for Pakistan. If the final is ultimately a contest between 22 domestic players, would the game even be a landmark moment in the return of cricket to Pakistan? Domestic cricket matches, after all, happen up and down the country all year round anyway.