Adil Najam

Pakistan Day Mubarak, Pakistan. World Cup Mubarak, cricket lovers (the ‘real’ World Cup really started today with the first knockout stage match, between Pakistan and the West Indies). And, hopefully, very soon, Match Mubarak, Pakistan.

Adil Najam

One wonders how many of us have actually read the actual text of the ‘Lahore Resolution’ (Qarardad i Lahore) and later became better known as the ‘Pakistan Resolution’ (Qarardad i Pakistan). We have carried it before on ATP and we carry the full and actual text of the resolution again today as we prepare for March 23 festivities. In fact, one could argue that events these last months – especially in terms of our own treatment of minorities – have added new poignancy to the text of the resolution.

Adil Najam

On March 23, 2011 , the 71st Pakistan Day will be celebrated all across Pakistan. And hopefully it will also be marked gloriously in Bangladesh where the Pakistan cricket team will play in the Cricket World Cup quarter-final match against West Indies. If Pakistan wins – and one dearly hopes it does – Pakistan will then meet either India or Australia in the semi-final at Mohali in Chandigarh, India. No matter which, what an exciting game that will be!

With the dream of an India-Pakistan Final no longer possible (although either one of them could make it to the Final) the only possibility of the two meeting in this World Cup is now in the Chandigarh Semi-Finals. The one team that must be rooting most strongly against that game ever being played must be Australia. And not just because that would require Australia to lose its Quarter-Final. Much more so because they would want to take on Pakistan again and avenge the defeat Pakistan handed them in their last group game.