cadet018

Folks might remember that Australia's decision to tour India had resulted in extremely loud denunciations of its "hypocrisy" in choosing to go to one country where bombs go off and making excuses to not go to another where bombs go off as well

I'd suggest the Aussies are on reasonably good ground, if what guided their decisions is their overall perception of the countries. There is a quite simple reason why teams tour India rather than Pakistan. Pakistan has been in the headlines (literally) for a very, very long time with regards to its internal political instability and violence. Think about all the things the West associates with Pakistan since 1979: Afghanistan, the mujahideen, refugee camps, military coups, the Taliban, the ISI, assassinations, the wild Northwest, fear of nuclear weapons falling into jihadi hands, Dr Khan's proliferation network, the Daniel Pearl beheading, the list goes on. And when a country is led by Army generals for a long time, it is quite difficult to remove the aura of political instability around it. Pakistan's problems have been on the West's radar for a very long time and are associated with a set of issues that the West is obsessed about. No one in the US or UK gives a hoot about the PWG in India or violence in the North-East or wherever, no matter how many Indians die. The patron of the Pakistani government, the US, has elevated and demoted Pakistan simultaneously to problem child and critical geo-political player.


And since 911, Pakistan cannot stay out of the news even if it wanted to. Pakistan's violence appears systemic, and embedded in a larger narrative about the "unstable, violent, Islamic world". India's violence appears sporadic, and discordant with a broader narrative about the rising economic superpowers of Asia. I live in the US and the constant stream of articles in the press about Pakistan's wild NorthWest, the ISI's implication in the activities of the Taliban, and the prospects of its civil government falling next year to another military coup is supplemented by articles about India's corporations going on acquisition sprees, the growth rate of the Indian economy, Snoop Dogg going to Bollywood and so on. Under these circumstances, I'm a little surprised that so many people consider the Australians utter and total hypocrites. This is the information they read about on a daily basis. Why wouldn't their perceptions of the country in question be affected?


I'm willing to bet good money that more English and Aussie backpackers have visited India than Pakistan in the last seven years. Are they also all hypocrites? Are they all also getting fat checks from the BCCI when they alight from their flights at Delhi International Airport? What guided their decisions?
The clincher is in the comparison between how the Delhi and Islamabad bombings were covered. Delhi did not even make it to the front page of the New York Times. Heck, it was hard to find any coverage on it. But the Islamabad incident went to the front page and stayed there. Why? Because this is supposed evidence of Pakistan's vulnerability to the Al-Qaeda and so on and so forth. Delhi's bombings? Oh, the usual stuff the US can't care about. I wonder if the Presidential candidates even commented on it


Pakistan's violence is of interest to the West. It imagines its interests are implicated there. This brings attention. Plenty of it, and it ensures that the country acquires a scary aura. And honestly, if folks read that in the Pakistani capital, a 600 kilo payload of high-explosive can be transported in, assembled, and then driven around in a VIP area, then,
well, what reassurance can the PCB provide to already apprehensive boards?


Src: Cricinfo - Blogs - Different Strokes

ehtasab

India ke paas "Some1" hay, Pakistan ke paas hay kia?

pidbull

yeah this is pretty much the perception of the world about Pakistan
I think most who felt that Pakistan was capable of hosting has changed their minds after the Marriott blasts and the threats of more attacks by radicals. I think this article will hopefully help some pakistani fans understand the decisions that have been made.
Things happen that are out of our control, hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

cadet018

dhobi bhai

hopefully

but still .......... team should visit Pakistan

Some1

A few days ago I referred to the same thing here as the above article and I was denounced by my good friends from the "wrong" side of the border. "Shame on you" said one self-righteous dost.

But since this one comes from Cricinfo, it becomes the gospel.

To repeat - Pakistan's geo-political status in the post-911 world is simply not comparable to that of India (For the n'th time - Hindu-Muslim riots don't impact westerners). To complain of "double standards" by the Aussies - is to say - "I have no common sense and I don't read the newspaper".

Aaj ke liye itnaa hi.....

fkhan2

No, No, No, you said more than what is said in this article. This is what you said few days ago

now tell me where in this article the writer is talking about Pakistani elements intending to try something on Indian soil.

As far as this article goes, I would also like to comment on it but may be later this evening since I am at work right now.

cadet018

Y cant i find such remarks in the gospel of cricinfo

Spock

If we're the people from the wrong side of the border who bully you, why do you spend most of your online life here obsessing over us.?

Spock

Bingo, he has a very bad short term memory I guess. At one point, he posted in a thread about Pakistan, that he hates Pakistanis and everything about them.

desi ostrich

panduaan wali gal keeti naaa

matter of fact is india noo bi tabaaa tey stianast karwana aye

Decent 6Chora

In general I agree to the article but disagree with this part

For heaven sake, Delhi did not make it to the front-pages becasue India is in the good books of western media. Any negative news seldom makes it to the front page when India is involved but incident of same (or even less intensity) stays at the front-pages and columns for ages if Pakistan is included.

Have you ever read about the burning of churches and Christians in India on front pages of Washington Post or Ny Times? a big NO but wait and see a church or temple go on fire in Pakistan and it will be discussed for ever. NGO's will invite (all paid trip btw) the effected parties to Washington for seminars and give some some-thing-medal of honor etc!

desi ostrich

india kahan aur pakistan kahah

india is one of the tiger economies of the world and bechara pakistan hukmaranu say lutaa and lut raha ha and on verge of bank corruptcy

Some1

Please point me to that thread. ( and please don't dig out something I posted in the last century when I first started out on GS with the sole intention to get on other peoples' nerves with frivolous posts )

But more importantly....look who is talking. Could it be the guy who is convinced that India is orchestrating all the bomb blasts in Pakistan. Sample here : http://www.paklinks.com/gs/6063595-post22.html

jo log sheeshe ke ghar mein rehte hain , woh you know what..(.. light on kar ke chaddi nahi change karte !)

Seriously though, my opinion should make sense to any person with a head on their shoulders. I am not a Hindu extremist...far from it....I think guys like Thackeray and some folks in BJP/RSS/Shiv Sena ought to be locked up for good.....and Modi should be tried for murder.

But, the question is - are these guys any threat to the Australian Cricket team. The answer is a resounding NO.

Hindu/Muslim extremists in India have no beef with the Western world...so (God forbid) if any untoward incident happened with regards to the Australian team in India - the only possible explanation would be that the perpetrators were inspired from across the border.

Is that really such a preposterous thought as it is being made out here ?

Spock

That wont work, u werent a teenager back then (you had like kids back then who went to school), so you were speaking from your heart when you blasted out your true feelings about Pakistan.

Yes, but then again I dont spend half my life on an Indian forum, nor do I go around telling people how much I hate India. Every smart person knows how India openly supports and fuels the trouble in the north side of Pakistans border, just like they did in the past.

I didnt say you were an extremist, but please dont come here and pretend you are rational and arent obsessed with Pakistan, especially after making statements that you made in the past about how much you hate and loathe Pakistanis.

we'll see about that. Remember how some of your extremists 'ladies' wanted to blow up the miss world competition not too long ago? The people with such mentalities still exists, 'on your correct, holy side of the border'.

Oh and if we accuse India of doing something in our country, its the ultimate sin and someon1 here, who hates Pakistanis and everything about them, gets really upset on a Pakistani forum.

If only you were smart, which you arent

cadet018

Shud Pakistanis stop visiting India cuz some lame === baal thakrey always give threats to Pakistanis ?

fkhan2

Some1, read this statement from Spock very carefully and you'll realize that the following applies to you and NOT on us

jo log sheeshe ke ghar mein rehte hain , woh you know what..(.. light on kar ke chaddi nahi change karte !)

We are already paying a very heavy price of what is happening in our country orchestrated by external elements and only God knows how long this will last.

Is India paying any price, NO. And I sincerely wish and hope that nothing like this ever happens in any country. So don't you give your conspiracy theories and rubbish hypothetical speculations which aren't true.

I usually don' talk about politics in cricketnama but you left me with no choice. My suggestion to you is simply open a thread in Pakistan or World Affairs and talk about this special theory of yours, that how Pakistan can sabotage cricket in India just like it has been sabotaged in Pakistan due to the invlovement of external forces. Infact I dare you to do that..

cadet018

we all shud do this ..........

Some1

Wow !!...getting too desperate to prove our point....are we ?

Man...that Miss World thing is totally out of context....first of all nobody threatened to blow anything up...at worst some nuts threated to disrupt the show......but more importantly the issue (for the good or bad) had a "cultural aspect" to it (nothing that is relevant to a game of Cricket).

Again, as much as I hate having to defend Hindu hoodlums......I have to say buddy...comparing Hindu extremists with extremists on your side of the border reminds me of this picture :



Listen boys, you can piss on my opinion if you like.....but at least get your head out of the sand. There is something called common sense you know.

Some1

And btw fkhan2 sir, I am trying hard to stick to the topic which is about the safety of a Cricket Team in India vis-a-vis Pakistan......not about the safety of Muslims in Gujarat or the safety of Miss World beauties.....guess who is bringing up those.....could it be your comrade-in-arms ?

cadet018

The thing is ......
Its not about Security in India vs Security in Pakistan ......
Is about team visiting Other Countries (not specifically India .. but also England) just after the bomb blasts (which we all condemn) ........without even having 2nd thoughts .....
And not visiting Pakistan .......... no matter how much assurance they are given ......


Okay bro ... answer this ....... Do u think .... If for some very odd reason ...... BCCI decides to organize next IPL in Pakistan ....... Australians wont visit Pakistan ?