Adil Najam
This news item in The News intrigued me:
A galaxy of former cricket stars on Sunday stepped forward and offered a helping hand in a bid to lift Pakistan cricket out of the prevailing crisis. Ex-Pakistan captains Rameez Raja, Wasim Akram, Inzamam ul Haq, Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Ahmad met Law Minister Farooq H Naek in Lahore and offered to put in a team effort aimed at improving Pakistan cricket. Naek welcomed their suggestions and later floated the idea of setting up of a high-powered committee formed by ex-Test stars that will help in ensuring a smooth functioning of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
He said that by garnering the support of former greats, Pakistan cricket can regain its rightful place on the world stage. “It would be great to have our cricket legends backing efforts for the betterment of cricket,” said Naek. The minister said a five-men committee, comprising former stars, should be formed to ensure that cricket was run in a professional manner in Pakistan. Pakistan cricket is facing hard times as top teams are refusing to tour the country because of security fears. World champions Australia scrapped a Test tour of Pakistan earlier this year while September’s ICC Champions Trophy which was to be held here was postponed after five of the eight competing teams raised safety concerns. Pakistani cricketers are now starved of international cricket while the PCB is facing a financial crunch because of major losses due to the postponement of the Australia series and the Champions Trophy.
It is because of the grim situation that the ex-Test stars have decided to campaign for Pakistan cricket. They are suggesting that a World XI should be invited to Pakistan to play a series, saying that such an exercise would help restore the country’s image in the cricket world. They gave this suggestion during an hour-long meeting with Naek. “We had a useful meeting in which the former Test cricketers expressed their concern over the downfall of the game and the situation we are facing in which foreign teams are not visiting Pakistan,” said the minister. Naek said that these cricketers should be given a wider role by including them in a committee that could help curtail the powers of the PCB chairman. Raja said he and his fellow players had no hidden agendas. “We are just here to help Pakistan cricket,” he stressed.
I read this, and was at first intrigued, then momentarily amused, and then left with a rather disturbed.
What does this say about the state of Pakistan cricket? What does this say about the state of Pakistan? Is this a reflection of where our society stands today, or where our cricket stands today? Maybe, it reflects both. Both our society and our cricket is reflecting that sense of helplessness and near hopelessness that wants us all to do something, but leaves us unsure about what needs to be done.
I do not know the answers to any of the above. But this I know. Reading this odd news item left me hoping that Pakistan cricket would be revived, whether by these former stalwarts or by someone else. I desperately need to hear good news about Pakistan. Not made up good news. But real and really good news.
Where better to look for it than on the cricket field!
Ali Dada,
While I agree with you that Pakistanis need an attitude adjustment and take greater personal responsibility rather than rely on government, I do not think we need to ask the government to apply draconian laws and various kinds of bans. It just won’t work.
What we really need is to come forward and do what each of us can as volunteer citizens to fix what is wrong. Whether it is educating the illiterate, feeding the poor, or fixing sports, reducing terrorism, we need to stop complaining and assigning blame (and stop believing in conspiracy theories) and get down to work. In all vibrant democracies, ordinary people volunteer regularly and private initiatives take care of a lot of problems that the government can not or will not.
To learn about volunteer examples in Pakistan, please read:
http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/07/missiles-versus-sch ools-for-pakistans.html
http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/10/un-millenium-goals- in-pakistani-village.html
We Pakistanis really need to change our attitude – we need a revolution to change our work ethics. Look at Japanese, the Koreans, or even the Malaysians or the Iranians. What is it that these nations have which Pakistanis don’t have?
There is one thing we need desparately – QUALITY EDUCATION. Create high standard of education. Make it a law for EVERYONE to have atleast Grade 12 (Intermediate) education.
It is totally realistic to enforce this based on today’s technology – Pakistan can increase investment in keeping information track on this.
Wait 15-20 years for this to take fruit. Then when you have so many engineers, doctors, accountants, programmers – businesses will come.
The rest will come naturally.
As to right now:
Convert account deficit into surplus – Ban all non-essential goods and service imports. Put high tarrifs (regardless of international violations) on imports. Ban import of all items which can be produced locally in Pakistan – even from friendly nations such as China.
Ban all promotion of business, tourism, and properties inside Pakistan relating to outside of Pakistan – NOTE: Dubai.
Shut down ALL NGOs, expel ALL media Personnel, ban ALL foreign media including GEO and ARY, expel ALL non-essential working foreigners and ALL activists, ALL foreign students, ALL non-essential foreign diplomatic staff, and ALL foreign tourists.
Create strict rules barring any non-Pakistani to enter Pakistan except in special circumstances – i.e. company contract or businessman (NOTE: Saudi Arabia).
Import and implement Saudi’s form of crime control and policing. Criticise all you want but Saudi’s crime rate is the lowest in the World.
Strict monitoring of all the borders and entry points and seal off all the borders minus the LOC.
Finally, ban all protests, and strikes.
I am so very worried..infact,it’s consuming me..worried about our country.As u said the feeling of helplessness is gnawing at our souls….isn’t there anything we can do to change the course of things? Can’t we save Pakistan? I am praying,hoping & waiting for a miracle.
A while ago it seemed impossible for other countries to decline tours to Pak. Things are different now; It now looks like the whole country has accepted what others have been telling us.
Every aspect of Pak is going down, leading to lack of governance, religious and civil strife.
In short our country is melting….soon those who can emigrate …will.
Foreign investors will take their investment out as best as they can…and disappear…pushing the jobless to greater numbers.
In the meantime time our public being at home and bored…will produce more childrens ….Pak is in line of becoming the 4th most populated nation on Earth….Why?
We KNOW that we don’t have the resources and infrastructures to feed and support these many peoples.
Dissatisfied peoples will turn to the Taliban…who will tell us that the Amreeki are fault for this….whilst it is us who cannot keep our sexual organ in our salvaars.
The population increase I think is the number 1 problem in Pak…if it does not slow down ….we will be like Chad.
What is the religious position on condoms….we should be handing them out to all villages free of charge.
First of all Unity,Faith and Dicipline?How Unity will come?.Faith on whom?Where is dicipline and from where to teach and who will teach?Search on these and than talk of SPORT>ECONOMY>DEMOCRACY>SOVERIGNITY>GOOD GOVERNANCE>…………………………………………….FOR ALL THESE CREATE IN SELF THAT FEELINGS OF 1947TO 1965.DO OR DIE FOR A OBJECT TO DECIDE BY ALL AS ONE SOLID NATION…..