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Raw Spirit and Body Language

Hospitalized several weeks ago with severe kidney pain in Abu Dhabi while attending a Conference, the doctor’s advice was to come back immediately for a pain-killer injection on recurrence of the pain. When the pain returned in strength at 1 a.m. the following night, the Pathan taxi cab driver who took me to the hospital a few minutes car-ride away would not take the taxi fare. He refused to leave me alone unless either I was admitted or ready to go back to the hotel. When I did come out, he was stubbornly refusing a couple who wanted to hire his taxi (few taxis being available at that time of the night). When the pain came back again the next night, the taxi driver (another Pakistani) insisted on going into the hospital with me and stayed till he dropped me back to the hotel. My Pakistani colleagues had left strict instructions that I should not go alone to the hospital, the “Reception” staff at the Hotel had to be stopped from waking them up. This was symbolic of pure Pakistani spirit, a Pakistani was in some trouble, colleagues or utter strangers, everyone responded unitedly quite selflessly.

One can understand the Pakistan-bonding with each other but why do we as a nation, volunteer to be the champions of all Muslim causes, particularly when some of those affected have no love lost for us? One can understand the religious aspect, Iraq is home to a major number of muslim holy places, fourth in emotional muslim religious issues, after Haram Sharif in Mecca, Masjid-e-Nabvi in Madinah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. With Iraq astride a vast reservoir of oil and Iraq surrounded by half a dozen countries, anyone sitting in Baghdad can call the shots as the geo-politically dominant force in the region. That’s what the suspicion is among the Muslim countries, i.e. apart from the usual Israeli bogey. A million-man protest march in Karachi against a US-led war against Iraq was tall on organization but short in number of participants, less than 150,000, the same as the Rawalpindi million-man march a week later. Nevertheless the public sentiment was impressive, the largest by far in the country for over two decades, matching the return of Ms. Benazir to Lahore from self-exile in 1986 but far less than the non-denominational universal protest witnessed in London and Paris a few weeks ago. The Iraqi people have been oppressed by more than three decades of Saddam Hussain’s tyranny, war would only add to the misery of innocent civilians, Saddam will quite deliberately and callously put them in harm’s way by having his Army fight in urban areas. One has to target Saddam Hussain, not Iraq; that about sums up the world’s message.

The treatment of Pakistanis in USA has evoked Pakistani protest; US reciprocation not being equitable or consonant with the support Pakistan has given the US in the “war against terrorism”, first in Afghanistan and then in Pakistan and outside. More than 65% of the 750 suspected terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay were apprehended by the much-vilified ISI before handing over to the US (without the ISI, the world’s “war against terrorism” would be a non-starter). On the other hand USA with its on/off love-hate relationship (from time to time we become “the cornerstone of US foreign policy”) has always been generous with aid, credits, textile quotas, military hardware, etc to Pakistan (even during sanctions), when has Iraq ever raised its voice for Pakistan? Since the Baath Party and Saddam have come to power, Iraq tacitly supports the Indian position on Kashmir, badmouthing Pakistan at will on every conceivable world forum. A vote in the National Assembly (just as Turkey has done) and the Senate should project Pakistan’s supreme national interest, not give an emotional knee-jerk reaction from the streets. War may be a last resort but Saddam’s recent born-again enthusiasm with the UN inspectors is only on seeing the rapid build-up of US/UK forces on his doorstep, “discretion being the better part of valour”. Saddam has killed more Muslims than any other man in history, Changez Khan and Halaku Khan included. Why should we risk the lives and aspirations of a million plus Pakistanis in the US, how many of our countrymen make a good honest living in Saddam’s Iraq? The supreme national interest should dictate foreign policy, not that formulated by mobs in the streets.

The streets do have a vested interest in cricket! Our campaign for the World Cup Super-6 has been disastrous, demoralizing for the nation’s youth. Winning and losing is part of the game but the spirit Pakistan used to exude in the field of sports is now missing. First it was hockey, then squash and now finally cricket. When Australia bowled us out in two-digit figures around 50 plus in both innings in the Sharjah Test, the writing on the wall should have been decoded, something was drastically wrong. Instead of persisting for the last two years with the same opening pair, the experienced Saeed Anwar being one of them, the opening pair was literally “subject to the appearance of the moon”. Taufiq Omar may have a place in the Test side, Saleem Elahi has no place in either side. Using Razzaq as a good No. 3 in the last World Cup, we should have played him regularly at the same spot in the last 3 years. Hopelessly out of form, Inzamam should have been dropped, a world competition cannot afford passengers. Rashid Latif is a good wicketkeeper and batsman, unfortunately he is no match to Moin Khan as a fighter. As the pivot of the fight being carried to the opponents, Moin could be quite voluble in the field, Rashid Latif hardly talks. We rotated Shahid Afridi’s batting slot out of form. Shoaib Akhtar should be a freak in a circus (the world’s fastest bowler), as a team player and strike bowler he was a total washout. In the presence of Sami, Waqar Younus had no place in the team, let alone being the captain. Saqlain Mushtaq is at the level of Shane Warne and Muralitharan, how can any team afford that he sit out any game? One has plenty of Pakistanis available who can do a better job if we rid ourselves of “the prima donnas”. Somebody has to answer for all of this and the decent and honorable thing that Tauqir Zia should have done was to resign (as he did earlier), as must the whole Selection Board for fielding his or her favourites instead of the best team. Unfortunately our culture is one of passing on responsibility, not accepting where the buck stops. Tauqir made PCB financially solvent for years to come but a whole new management team is required to re-vitalise cricket, someone like Imran Khan would do nicely as a “cricket czar”. The body language on the field was depressing, this was not a “world beating side” but one already beaten before it had entered the field.

The spirit which brings Pakistanis together in adversity and challenge has been sadly missing. The critical agenda of the Musharraf regime was accountability, that must begin at home. Our leadership must be able to explain the logic behind their decisions to the people who matter, the citizens of Pakistan, that ability is presently bankrupt. Pakistan’s raw spirit notwithstanding, the body language either on the cricket field or for that matter in the corridors of power does not bode well for the future for the country. The President’s decision-making is usually in line with his belief of “Pakistan First”, he is a tough cookie, Pervez Musharraf must now take hard, unpalatable decisions, from decapacitating cricket bosses to the supporting of an “or else” UN Security Resolution directed at Iraq.

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