wants details of the indo-pak tour after 14 years?

Answer 1

History was created when for the first time in 15 years, the Indian cricket team descended on Pakistani territory and in the very first one-day match in Karachi on March 13 pocketed a nail-biting five-run victory. It was the first of a series of one-dayers and Test matches that the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguli will play in various Pakistani cities in the next 40 days. Unlike fears of security concerns and hostile crowds among the spectators if they score a victory, the Indian team found themselves being cheered rather than booed by the Pakistani people in a sportsman’s spirit. When the Indian team landed in Lahore on March 11, cricket fever had already gripped this cultural capital of Pakistan with banners and billboards greeting the Indian cricketers. The city rolled out the red carpet for them, giving them a taste of the passion and emotions surrounding the series. The day the match was played in Karachi, the local administration there had declared a holiday and all the other staging venues are likely to follow suit to enable the people to watch the match either on TV or on the grounds. Tickets were selling at a high premium, four to five times more than the printed rate. The Indian team has been given security cover fit for a visiting Head of State or Government, but given the kind of love and affection so far shown to the team, but for some fundamentalist jehadis, they must be feeling at home in Pakistan, something which matters great on their performance on the field. At the witness stands, many Pakistanis were seen carrying big banners with dialogues from a famous recent Indian film, Munnabhai MBBS, which they hurled open in the air whenever boundary was hit either by Indian or Pakistani batsmen.

In India, seldom in its history has so much hype and hoopla been created. For instance, the Government had to intervene to ensure that a series is telecast live on a State- controlled channel, for fear that a blackout might cause widespread public unrest. Security has been stepped up in Gujarat. In Kashmir and other cities, the streets were deserted and most businesses opened late. Cinema halls reported poor sales. There was heavy rush for the purchase of TVs and Gen sets so as not to miss even a single shot in the first match of the groundbreaking tour of Pakistan which the Kashmiris hoped will further soothe tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. Those who flew to Karachi to watch the first one-dayer were the siblings of Sonia Gandhi - daughter Priyanka, son-in-law Robert Vadra and son Rahul. From the Indian Government, Industry and Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley graced the occasion. Sonia Gandhi did not go despite initial plans to do so. President Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister Advani too have invitations in hand and it would not be surprising that like late Pakistani President Ziaul Haq, who once expressed the wish to see an Indo-Pak cricket-match in Jaipur and later flew in after a green line from the then Government, some important Indian leader may descend on Lahore for the final Test.

The icebreaking tour, which was almost thrown into jeopardy because of the parliamentary elections in India, was put on track only after Prime Minister Vajpayee’s go-ahead, putting to an end weeks of speculation among cricket fans in both countries.

Political observers say the hype accompanying the Indian team shows that cricket is just a game which was needlessly politicized. When the Indian cricket team called on Prime Minister Vajpayee before they left for Lahore, he urged its members not only to win matches but also hearts. This cricket diplomacy, observers say, will contribute enormously to the ongoing process of normalization of relations which got going with Vajpayee’s extension of hand of friendship, the various confidence-building measures they subsequently took, his own visit to Islamabad, their decision to resume the stalled talks and the roadmap for talks which their Foreign Secretaries hammered out at their Islamabad meeting last month.

Answer 2

it is an really exciting question. thanks for asking it. the relationship between India and Pakistan is an risky one, one which has commonly damaged down into warfare and conflict, really contained in the realm of Kashmir. the end of this conflict will be an really solid component. on the different hand, Pakistan is harboring terrorists. regrettably, it truly is plausible that sometime (although likely no longer at the same time as Obama is president) Pakistan turns into the recent the front of the GWOT (international warfare on Terror). A continuation of the present relationship with Pakistan and India an earnings for the U. S., because the terrorists and insurgents would have nowhere to conceal. Osama Bin encumbered ought to were captured in 2001, (9 Years in the past!) had it no longer been for that he managed to flee into Pakistan. If warfare began with Pakistan, and if Afghanistan became by technique of that factor safeguard, he (or whoever will be operating Al Qaida by technique of that factor) would have a a lot more durable time evading American forces. those may be the reward and disadvantages. So, my opinion on the count number is this. it will be very solid for India and Pakistan to grow to be pals, yet it is amazingly unlikely, that may finally end up growing to be a miles extra appropriate (nicely a minimum of for u.s.) component than in the adventure that they grew to grow to be pals. So, i do not choose them to grow to be allies, yet i choose them to go back to an recognize-how of one yet another and provides up this senseless quarreling with one yet another, for humanity's sake.