IF newspaper reports are anything to go by — and they often are — the English team will not be playing a Test match in Karachi when it tours the country sometime later this year. This basically means that Karachi and its residents will continue to carry the burden without any fault of their own. It is times like this when it hurts to be a Karachiite. I have lived in this great city since childhood, and, God knows, I have found this it to be as peaceful or troublesome as any cosmopolitan entity around the globe. And, this I say after having been around most part of that globe.
While I am dejected by the pace and direction of developments in this regard, I honestly don’t know where to put the blame. It is hard to find fault with the English administration, for it is its duty to feel comfortable before making any commitment. Karachi is safe. It is safe like anything, and we all know that. Having said that, we have also to concede that there is a problem with the city’s image abroad.
It is only when foreigners land here that they realize the gulf that separates the reality from perception. But those who have not touched foot yet, remain skeptical, and I can relate to that mindset at the individual level. As far as the administrative board is concerned, it also comprises individuals, and their perceptions influence the decision of the board. It is only natural.
As for Pakistan Cricket Board, there is precious little that it could, or can, do in this regard except facilitating inspection teams and other English officials, and placing solemn and practical assurances on the table, and hope to find sympathetic ears. But beyond that, it has nothing in its hands to force the issue. If it does, it will be at the cost of tour cancellation, which will be even worse for all concerned.
Till last year, the board at least had the moral upper hand in such matters, but once it refused to play at Ahmedabad during its tour to India early this year, it cannot now grumble too much when it finds itself on the other side of the equation. The Indians also made similar noises when Ahmedabad was turned down, but we decided to be practical rather than sympathetic to their arguments, and rightly so. But it is that same approach which has come to haunt us.
Having failed to find fault with either board, I guess there is a third element to this equation; the image managers of the country. They have to be a bit more alert in promoting the true image of the country, especially of Karachi which happens to be the biggest city and the commercial capital of Pakistan.
It is the age of the media, and the image managers have to work overtime to bring out the reality through the various means of communication available to them in the international arena. It has to be soft, indirect and imaginative. The positive on our side is that we do not have to give any spin to the facts. Karachi, as I said earlier, is as safe as any metropolitan city in the world. We just have to portray the unadulterated ground reality, while working on the perception of the foreigners. All we have to do is to conceive and execute the plan professionally. Any half-cooked plan or its lackadaisical execution will only work against us, and not for us. And whatever we do, we have to be patient for it will work slowly in view of all the strength that the prevailing misperception has gained over the last few years.
IF newspaper reports are anything to go by — and they often are — the English team will not be playing a Test match in Karachi when it tours the country sometime later this year. This basically means that Karachi and its residents will continue to carry the burden without any fault of their own. It is times like this when it hurts to be a Karachiite. I have lived in this great city since childhood, and, God knows, I have found this it to be as peaceful or troublesome as any cosmopolitan entity around the globe. And, this I say after having been around most part of that globe.
As for Pakistan Cricket Board, there is precious little that it could, or can, do in this regard except facilitating inspection teams and other English officials, and placing solemn and practical assurances on the table, and hope to find sympathetic ears. But beyond that, it has nothing in its hands to force the issue. If it does, it will be at the cost of tour cancellation, which will be even worse for all concerned.
