Despite all assurances and preparations to safely host international cricket in the country, one after the other, foreign teams scheduled to visit have bowed out owing to undisclosed ‘security threats’. That the intelligence directing these abrupt and hasty decisions is not being shared with Pakistan’s government is a worrisome indication of geopolitics at play, much more than anything else. Nevertheless, the English and Welsh Cricket Board’s (ECB) cancellation of the tours of its men’s and women’s teams, confirmed through painstaking negotiations, just two days after New Zealand’s refusal to play a few hours prior to the series kick-off for which they had been present and practicing in the country for at least six days, is a major diplomatic blow that will require significant time to recover from. It had taken close to two decades to reach a point where teams such as the ones that have pulled-out, were comfortable enough to play cricket in Pakistan. The optics of this abandonment therefore entails ramifications that not only are undeserved but have negatively redefined the perception of security and safety in the country. Understandably, cricket fans and the population in general is angry over the treatment meted out to Pakistan, the embarrassment of which is amplified by the fact that the incident took place in the country and we were unable to satisfy the touring side that the threat compelling them to take such drastic measures did not exist. The damage done, however, should not be made worse, which is exactly what sensational, political and emotionally charged statements coming from the interior minister and newly hired PCB chairman are doing.
There is no denying the fact that the volatile situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover coupled with an offer of amnesty to the TTP and a premature indication of recognition of the new regime in Kabul has painted Pakistan in a light that it ill-afforded, as it provided regionally hostile countries a much-needed narrative to peddle internationally that would discredit Pakistan’s image of a reformed state that is open for business, travel, sports and investment. In the coming days, the PTI government will have to take decisions over how extensively, at what forums and how severely it will raise its valid grievances over the treatment meted out to it.
