LE PEN, the leader of the French ultranationalist National Front, stunned the whole world over two weeks ago by capturing second place in the first round of the French presidential elections.

At the time many feared that France could be heading towards fascism, a trend that would destroy the dream of a united Europe, making France an intolerant and extremist country. Some Europeans had even termed the development “the French version of the Taliban Afghanistan”.

It was only after the second round when Le Pen was defeated with a united force of France’s entire political spectrum that Europe took a collective sigh of relief.

Though Le Pen is defeated for now, the clouds of danger are hovering over the whole of Europe and there are very clear signs in a number of European countries that extremism is on the rise and even countries like Britain and Italy are no exception.

The factors responsible for the rise of fascism in France and the rest of Europe are thought to be the growing disaffection with the traditional parties of centre-right and centre-left and a rise in crime, but the common theme almost everywhere has been the fear of unregulated immigration.

The Sept 11 attacks have also provided a very good opportunity for these ultranationalist parties to capitalize on. In France the majority of immigrants are Muslim, most of whom originate from North Africa.

Nearly six million French people from all walks of life have voted for a party whose main slogan is expelling these millions of immigrants from the country. Many within and outside France view the rise of Le pen’s National Front as emergence of Nazis and the memory what happened in Germany during their rule is enough to make many within and outside France extremely nervous.

It was this nervousness that those who opposed Le Pen turned out in large numbers and delivered an unambiguous rejection of Mr Le Pen.

Mr Chirac, though still an unpopular leader because of his corruption scandal while mayor of Paris, is once again the president of the country.

The presidential election has also exposed deep splits in the political system and a malaise in the country over law and order, with four million people living close to poverty , in Europe’s second largest economy.

Le Pen has accepted his defeat but is till defiant and has accused Jacques Chirac of engineering a “giant electoral fraud”.

He is threatening to wreak revenge in next month’s general election. “I look forward to the general elections with plenty of confidence,” an optimist Le Pen told his supporters.

The general elections are indeed another crucial test of the French electorate. The presidential elections have not allowed France to make its choice between left and right and there is no doubt that voters will have a strong sense of unfinished business.

And this unfinished business could provide a very good chance for National Front to play crucial role. If the NF polls the equivalent of Mr Le Pen’s and Mr Mégret’s first-round presidential score in the parliamentary election, it could hold the balance of power in up to 300 of France’s 577 constituencies.

That could split the rightwing vote, usher in a new Socialist-led government, and spark an institutional crisis as the country revolts against another period of ineffective power sharing.

And this could create a breeding ground for the National Front to further flourish. For the time being the National Front has been defeated but the new government by no means can neglect those 5.5 million French voters who do not want a united Europe and immigrants from poor countries and who want stringent measures to be taken to control crimesin the country.

Mr Chirac will have to take steps to further tighten immigration laws and to control crimes, but when it comes to Franc’s isolation from the rest of Europe he would not be in a position to appease these voters. France, being a crucial member of the European Union, will have to stay with the rest of Europe no matter whatever the price to be paid.

INZAMAM-UL-HAQ is a genial, young man who is, if anything, shy and who shuns the limelight. I have known him since 1992 and cannot recall ever having had a conversation with him. We have, instead, exchanged smiles. Yet, I have been a devoted fan of his and he knows it.

At the PCB function in Lahore, a few weeks ago (when he was going through a lean patch) he came up to me, clasped my hand and shook it, with both of his hands. I told him that I saw a beaming smile on his face but saw no concern that he was a little short of runs.

“They’ll come,” he said, with unusual immodesty. Behind that smile, was the certainty that when the runs would come, they would do in as a deluge.

Inzamam came within a touching distance of Brian Lara’s record of 375. I think we have all run out of superlatives and still find ourselves short of doing justice to that innings. Too bad not too many people were at the ground to see it but millions must have watched it on television.

A friend of mine telephoned me to ask me what I thought of that innings, “What did you think?” I asked. “Great, wasn’t it?” he said. I thought I would tease him a little. “I have seen Inzamam play better,” I told him.

Actually, I hadn’t. Here was a batsman for whom the runs had dried up. He was beginning to fall in that most fatal of traps. He was trying harder, abandoning his natural game in the hope that either he could graft or blast his way out of his lean patch.

In the end, he played in the only way he knows. He needed to build his innings with a strong foundation. I was reminded of a Spanish proverb: “Beware the fury of a patient man.” And it was certainly, a furious innings by the gentlest of souls.

But the Lahore Test match was to offer another feast. With Wasim Akram rested, Shoaib Akhtar was handed the new ball. On a previous day, there had been a mild dust-storm with hot, gusty winds causing the trees outside the ground to sway. But this was nothing compared to the storm that would hit the Gaddafi Stadium as Shoaib ran in to bowl.

It was not his pace alone, it was his deadly accuracy and whether or not he had crossed the 100 mph barrier was immaterial. The first four wickets he took were all bowled. He didn’t make a mess of the wickets. He was like a dentist extracting a tooth, hitting one stump and sending it cartwheeling. He was to take two more wickets, ending with the staggering figures of 6 for 11. Rightly, he did not bowl in the second innings. Shoaib’s fitness has held up well and I wouldn’t mind if he did not play in Karachi.

With Inzamam’s triple century and Shoaib’s fantastic bowling, we tend to lose sight of Imran Nazir’s hundred. Imran has been in and out of the Pakistan team and this has affected his confidence. When he had first played for Pakistan, he brought to his batting all the brilliance as well as the brashness of youth. I had rated him as the most exciting batsman since Inzamam.

He was cocky, to the point of arrogance and this did not sit down too well for so young a batsman. He was getting out, playing outrageous shots and it cost him his place in the team. When that happens, the player generally disappears. But though he was out of sight, he was not out of mind.

The selectors took a bold decision to pick him for Sharjah and Imran grabbed the chance with both hands. But he still lacked the skill to turn fifties into hundreds. He seemed to lose concentration. I don’t know whether his place in the team is settled but he’s going to be playing a lot of cricket and hopefully making a lot of runs, provided he can keep both feet on the ground.

Someone mentioned to me that Mark Richardson, the New Zealand batsman, had some very unkind things to say about conditions in Pakistan. He is not the first visitor to have done so. It is not easy to adjust to the subcontinent and for many, it provides a cultural shock. One has to have a certain upbringing and a certain level of education to enjoy a foreign country.

On my part, I thoroughly enjoyed myself in New Zealand. I found it a beautiful country and the people were friendly. The hotels where I stayed were not as good as the hotels where the New Zealand team have been staying.

But I had no complaints. I hope by now Richardson has settled down though it is entirely possible that he is shell-shocked, this time not by the unhygienic conditions, but by Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling.

I am happy to see that Saeed Anwar has been included in the squad for the Test in Karachi. It will take him some time to regain his fluency but he needs to get out there in the middle and it shouldn’t be long before he will find his magical touch. Pakistan finished the Lahore Test in three days.

But New Zealand made a better fist of it in the second innings. Pakistan should take nothing for granted at Karachi. Pakistan is re-learning how to win and this learning process should continue. No room for complacency.