Pakistan’s new foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, who was on her first visit to India for the Ind-Pak bilateral talks raised the topic of cricket resumption between Pakistan and India on Wednesday. Khar, a polo enthusiast told India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna that cricket was a binding factor between the two countries and it is imperative to resume the cricket ties between two countries considering the need for peace in the region.
Pakistan has been starving for cricket in last two years due to frequent terrorist attacks in the region. Since the Mumbai attacks in 2008, India had stopped its cricket ties with Pakistan. In March 2009 the bus carrying Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists in Lahore and as a result no other international team has toured Pakistan since then.
But Khar was optimistic after the diplomatic meeting on Wednesday, and said the Indian counterparts have given a positive response to this proposal. The joint statement issued after the meeting emphasised on holding sports tournaments. The two foreign ministers also agreed on encouraging cricket matches for the women teams of the two countries.
Khar also had a discussion about initiation of cricket ties with the vice-president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajiv Shukla, who is also a MoS of Parliamentary affairs. Shukla is learnt to have guaranteed Pakistani foreign minister that the resumption of cricket will be on agenda in the BCCI’s meeting next month. Also a series is supposedly scheduled for next year, but not yet finalised.
