Adil Najam
So it turns out that Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was not murdered after all.
Of course, some of our readers had never believed that charge in the first place. And it has now been clear for a while that this was not murder.
But seeing the news reports on the television still leaves me feeling very uncomfortable – even queasy. This raises more questions in one’s mind.
What about the way we will remember this man? In those first few days before the murder story was floated, there was an outpouring of respect for Woolmer amongst Pakistanis. I myself had suggested renaming National Stadium in his memory. But with all the murder talk we forgot about him and his career and his service as Pakistan coach. Maybe its time to remember him again?
What about the Pakistan team and players and all the emotional cost to them? Should there be an apology? By whom? This is not about a blame game. It is about bringing real closure to a very sordid affair.
And why – for God’s sake why – did this story carry so much credibility for so wrong. It not only dragged the Woolmer family through even greater pain than the immensity of the news about his death. It put a shadow not just over the Pakistan team but over Pakistan cricket. And it made the World Cup event so much less than it should have been. All all of this for what?
In the beginning I had doubt that he was murdered and I wrote in my blog twice about my doubt. I was sure that his death either be a suicide or drug overdose related death. You can read my posts on Bob’s death at
http://www.mypakistan.com/?p=510
http://www.mypakistan.com/?p=512
Who should we sue? For how much damages? Who should the money go to? I don’t think it is a good idea. Remember the age old adage – People living in glass houses should not throw stones at others? If at all their is someone to be sued it is Musharraf and his cotorie of mean minded ruffians who are intimidating civil society in Pakistan.
The least the Jamiacan police and the World Cup Organizing Committee should do now is to offer an unconditional apology to the Pakistan team. They might also want to offer each one of them (and their families) free tickets to Jamaica again but I suspect there would be no takers for that on our side.
I strongly believe there should be a lawsuit from the Pakistan board at least against the Jamaican police and the ICC Organizing Committee, the expected outcome of which should not necessarily be monetary but a legal and moral acknowledgement of harrassment and mental anguish caused to the Pakistani team (and nation!).
Rest assured if the English, South African or Australian team had been through this nightmare with a natural death at the end they would have sued the ICC, the World Cup Org. Committee and the entire nation of Jamaica. The PCB (and the incompetent & hopefully soon to be replaced) Chairman need to get their heads out of the sand and show some leadership in this case. They need to forcefully show the ICC and the cricket world that as one of the premier cricketing nations in the world we deserve a certain dignity and respect, in defense of which we will fight in a court of law, on the cricketing field, and in the forum of public opinion.
My sincere suggestion: Please keep Mr. (drag-God-into-every man-made-mess) Inzamam-ul-Haq as far away from this case and Pakistan cricket as we can.
imran khan says we should sue, pj mir says we should sue, m. yousaf says we shd sue but in comes the imported PCB chief who says we wont sue. inzi, an EX captain says we shdnt sue and that we shd leave it with the Almighty (as if the honour of 160million people has2be decided by inzi alone)!
what a bunch of headless chickens!
never wld u see such a vast array of contrasting opinions in the australian or english camps!
“And why – for God’s sake why – did this story carry so much credibility for so wrong”
Adil, my theory is that it had to do with a recent rash of high profile cases in various Carribean islands which drew a lot of media coverage for local law enforcement agencies. There was the Anna Nicole Smith case in Bahamas, then there was another case in Aruba of a missing American teenager, among others. All these cases brought their respective fifteen minutes of fame to the police officers and investigators and they were paraded all over the news networks. I think police in Jamaica must have thought that this was their chance to become instant celebrities with all the cameras already in place for the World Cup.