The writer is a former editor of Dawn.
The writer is a former editor of Dawn.

Was the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore an exercise in sheer futility, as it would neither see international cricket return to Pakistan in any meaningful way nor would a day-long event — held even as it was, peacefully, amid extraordinary security — signal a deathly blow to the terrorists?

Honestly speaking, when I heard of the plan to stage the PSL final in Lahore my own reaction was that it was a silly move — one, it wasn’t worth the risk; and two, the venue might force key international players to stay away, which would have an impact on the quality of the game.

The first fear was driven by the memories of that awful day in 2009 when the Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by terrorists near Gaddafi Stadium. It took a composed coach driver to save the day as he sped them out of harm’s way. Who knows if the terrorist wanted to kill the players or take them hostage?

Those TV images, where the terrorists seemed free to fire their automatic weapons at any and all targets of their choosing, having first taken out the escorting policemen, remain etched in my mind. It was a miracle that the Sri Lankan players and the foreign umpires escaped major injury or death.

It is true that, since that March 2009 morning, the country has worked hard to train and equip its counterterrorism forces better and has cleared out most of the terror safe havens across lawless swathes in the northwest of Pakistan.

That may have dented the terrorists’ capacity to wreak havoc but it has not destroyed it. They can still strike in Pakistan from their new sanctuaries across the Durand Line using their support network here, as the month of February showed with multiple attacks across all four provinces.

So the security concerns were very real. I also understand that many of the foreign professional cricketers have insurance policies to safeguard against illness or inability to play for other reasons beyond their control to compensate them for loss of income.


####The day of the PSL final was quite cathartic in more ways than one.

Such insurance policies mandate that they can’t travel for work (in their case play cricket or commentate) to destinations declared dangerous by their governments — a country, city or venue that is the subject of a travel advisory warning.

These were the factors weighing on my mind as I first thought that the move to bring the PSL final to Lahore was a mere ploy to earn the governing party some political capital at a time when it has had a fair bit of stick on account of the Panama Papers leak.

However, I started to change my mind when I realised the enthusiasm the news was generating in my cricket-crazy land; the moment ticket sales were announced, early morning queues started to form outside the banks selling them.

The only complaint I heard was about the non-availability of the Rs500 tickets (as opposed to the Rs8,000 and Rs12,000 ones) as at every sale point, it seemed, dozens of disappointed fans were being turned away with a sold-out message. Of course, I have no statistics to say whether these tickets were far too few to start with or simply that the demand was way too great.

In the run-up to the game, when the security clampdown began none among the usual moaners at such measures (and many moan with total justification) moaned. Whether it was TV, print or social media, the complaints that accompany any security measures were conspicuous by their absence.

Whenever TV channels showed vox pops there was not a single voice against the event. In fact, people, who appeared to be from all socioeconomic brackets, seemed to be supportive and in high spirits. There were voices of outright defiance too, mocking the terrorists.

On the day of the final, I wasn’t embarrassed to admit I was wrong. The day seemed to be about much more than just cricket. The roar of approval of the capacity crowd at the beat of the dhammal lifted my heart. The music and dance seemed to bring joy and festivities centre stage after much blood, gore and mayhem — if only for a day.

Pointless symbolism, the cynics argue, when the larger issue remains unaddressed. I wouldn’t disagree entirely, but I wouldn’t call it pointless symbolism either. To me the day was quite cathartic in more ways than one. The dhammal, coming as it did, after the Sehwan carnage.

Equally, the day was demonstrating that, left to their own devices in a relatively secure environment, most Pakistanis like to live and enjoy life with song and dance and music. This was a packed stadium ratifying that and rejecting the narrow obscurantist ideology that the terrorists and their supporters wish to force down our throats.

I agree that the state of play in the National Action Plan rollout will remain a subject of debate and disagreement, of heated controversy in the country, and erupt afresh after the next terrorist atrocity, as much as I hope that there isn’t one.

But on the day, Quetta Gladiators offered a sacrifice in agreeing to play with some of their key foreign stars missing and in losing the final. This isn’t the first or the last sacrifice for the larger national interest that Balochistan has been called upon to make; much gratitude to it.

The winners, thankfully, were Peshawar Zalmi from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, another part of Pakistan that has been called upon to shed so much of its blood, to suffer so much pain for the rest of the country as it paid a heavy price for our policymakers’ follies. Hope this win brought it some comfort.

The day brought me warmth and solace and much joy. Admittedly, the game of cricket may have been better with full-strength teams. But guess what? I am not complaining and am grateful for small mercies.

PS: Even if you don’t agree please don’t say: Iss phateechar columnist ko kahan se pakar ke la aayein hein.

The writer is a former editor of Dawn.

abbas.nasir@hotmail.com

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2017

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