As Mohammad Amir waited at the top of his mark to bowl his first ball in the top tier of domestic cricket yesterday after a Grade II rehabilitation following a four and half year ostracisation from all forms of cricket, there were millions of voices waiting to start their verbal run up on whether it was the right or wrong thing to happen.

Indeed the country stands divided on whether Amir should come back and play cricket. Among those who believe he shouldn’t play for Pakistan there are right of centre who believe that he should play at most the domestic cricket and must never don the Pakistani colours again. Among those on the liberal left who contend that he has served his sentence and should be selected for Pakistan again if he performs are those who believe that it is the system that is corrupt and that if bigger fish have hoodwinked the law with the alleged connivance of PCB officials, why expect a teenage boy to be worldly wise and intelligent enough to stay away from temptation.

The logic goes that if someone has served a jail sentence he has the right to look for a job on his release and that society should allow him the opportunity to regenerate his life normally. The question that has been raised is whether this analogy should stand in Amir’s case considering he has ‘sold out the state’ or has ‘committed crimes against the state’ to go to an extreme. This is no petty crime; he has betrayed a nation which before the dastardly deed, adored him, prayed for him and most importantly had faith in him that he will give his utmost for the country.

It is noticeable that those who have a soft corner for him clearly don’t harbour the same sentiments for Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif. Therein lies the lacuna; those who feel that he should be forgiven and reinstated look to his age as the age of innocence. Indeed how many of Pakistanis on the extreme right or right of centre on this issue can look back to when they were 18 and not wince at what some of them did or would have done had the opportunity come to them, if only out of naivety.

There is the strong case nevertheless that were Amir to play with the rest of Pakistani cricketers who have turned away from the wicked opportunity when it came their way what message will PCB be giving them? Take the chance and if caught then there’s always the reprieve? Imagine the options that will line the Under 19 or even Under 17 players; these iniquitous men who buy players see no limits to their approaches. “Never mind,” they could say “You’ll be back by 22-24 if you’re caught.”

Then there is what goes on in the middle. If Amir were to play again, cry the nay-sayers, imagine the sledging for all the Pakistani players. “Hey, so you guys have no scruples that one of your own went out for himself.” Even if it doesn’t hurt the conscience it will disturb focus on the cricket itself in the middle. And horror of horrors if he bowls a big no ball. Won’t the already predisposed foreign commentators eat up Pakistan’s prestige with their comments?

Is it then that it is his boyish innocence that has clouded the judgment of the people at the helm of PCB? Or is it that they are being benevolent in having a then juvenile act forgiven like they would do their own child? Will they be pressured by some ex cricketers who have been absolutely averse to his reentry or will they hark back to them that from the 90s they chose to play alongside players who they fully well knew were doing far worse than taking money to bowl one no ball?

Should a formal acceptance of wrong doing be considered more culpable than an informal acceptance that nevertheless had eye witnesses or closer sixth sense? Was it all right to play for Pakistan alongside those who were caught red handed by their colleagues and not right to allow someone who has atoned for the same faults?

Yes the jury is out and will be till eternity whether or not Amir goes on to play for Pakistan or not. The question remains that if he is not allowed to represent Pakistan again will it be fair that those with the influence and clout (like some corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen even servicemen) move about society with a stiff upper lip and represent our country with pride breaking all moral and physical laws while those who hail from a little village must bow to those upholding the moral flag, who by the way still go out and vote for the corrupt, or work through them?

Or is that once something is officially proven and it is a crime against the state we should, we must enforce the code of conduct? And that if Amir is exiled from playing for Pakistan it will form a precedent by which the more powerful can one day be ostracized from society. Utopian thinking yes, but stranger things have happened.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2015

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