LAHORE: Despite activists of Hindu extremist party Shiv Sena sabotaging the meeting between the chiefs of Pakistan and Indian cricket boards in Mumbai on Monday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan has reached New Delhi for talks with Indian government officials including a BJP cabinet minister.

The activists broke into the office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, forcing the meeting between Shaharyar and BCCI chief Shashank Manohar for the resumption of bilateral series between the two countries to be cancelled.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that Shaharyar had decided to meet Indian government officials on Manohar’s advice as the latter believes such meetings on personal level may play a positive role in resumption of cricketing ties as a clearance from the Indian government remains the only hurdle.

Shaharyar, accompanied by PCB executive committee chief Najam Sethi and PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed, is due to return to Pakistan on Wednesday while Sethi and Subhan will leave for Dubai on Tuesday.

A number of former and current Pakistan Test cricketers, meanwhile, condemned the acts of Shiv Sena.

Former Test leg-spinner and chief selector Abdul Qadir slammed the timing of the PCB delegation to India as the “political situation between the two countries wasn’t conducive”.

Qadir added that the PCB and the BCCI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and if any party backed out from the accord, there were other forums to raise the issue. “It [The MoU] can’t be discarded just like that,” he said. “The PCB should go to Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for their help in this regard.”

PCB signed an MoU with the BCCI to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. Four of those series will be hosted by Pakistan and the six tours — pending a legal agreement — will include up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20s.

The first of these bilateral series is to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in December.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal said the incident was deplorable as the PCB chief had gone to India with a message of love.

“Despite the Indians refusing to play against Pakistan, Pakistan visited India in 2013 because the PCB believes politics should not be mixed with sports,” said Ajmal, while adding the bilateral series “would serve a lot to promote the game globally”.

Former Test cricketer and chief selector Muhammad Ilyas said while Shaharyar should not have visited India, it is the extremists party of Shiv Sena that had violated the ethics of hospitality.

“The PCB chief and the delegation went on Manohar’s invitation, so there is no ground for Shiv Sena to protest. Sports and politics should be kept separate at all times.”

Published in Dawn, October 20th , 2015

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