Should India playcricket with Pakistan?

JG Arora
THOUGH India’s ancient wisdom stipulates the maxim, “Shathe shaathyam samaacharet” (treat the wicked in his own wicked way), successive Indian governments have been appeasing Pakistan which has been tormenting India ever since its inception in 1947.
Despite the killing of thousands of innocents in Pakistan sponsored frequent terrorist attacks and despite Pakistan’s resolve to destroy and “bleed India through a thousand cuts”, successive Indian governments have been taking a number of self-destructive measures like Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla rail and bus links and sports and cultural exchanges as ‘confidence building measures’ which have not brought any change, whatsoever, in Pakistan’s resolve to destroy India.  
Indo-Pak cricket ties had been snapped after the Pakistan-sponsored terror attack on Mumbai in November, 2008 which claimed about 200 lives. Shockingly, in September, 2012, Indian Government has approved Indo-Pak cricket series to be played in India in December 2012. In this series, two T-20 and three one-day matches will be played.
Besides, the government has liberalised grant of visas, making it easier for Pakistanis to visit India though in the past, many Pakistanis who came to India to watch Indo-Pak cricket disappeared, and could not be traced.
Unending terrorist attacks
After losing its wars with India in 1965 and 1971, Pakistan adopted terrorism as its weapon against India.
During 1980s and 1990s, Pak-sponsored terrorists killed thousands of Hindus in Kashmir forcing several lakhs of Hindus to flee from Kashmir. And after making Kashmir a Hindu-less region, terrorists have been striking at different locations in India.
1993 witnessed a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai killing hundreds of innocents. In 2001, terrorists attacked Indian Parliament. 2002 witnessed attack on Raghunath temple in Jammu and Akshardham temple in Gujarat. 2003 saw Mumbai bomb blasts. In 2005, terrorists attacked Ayodhya, New Delhi and Bangalore.
On July 11, 2006, terrorists killed over 200 innocents in bomb blasts in local trains in Mumbai.
After hitting Mumbai in November 2008, terrorists struck in Pune in February 2010, in Mumbai in July 2011 and in Delhi in September 2011.
These attacks are not isolated incidents; these are a part of a long line of attacks Bharat Varsha has suffered since Muhammad bin Qasim’s Arab army attacked Sindh in 711.
 To know the nature of Pakistan and its attitude towards Hindu India, it is relevant to know how Pakistan came into existence.
A peep into history
How Muslims League got Pakistan for Muslims is briefly narrated below.
Bharat Varsha including the present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan and even Zabol in Iran was Hindu land with zero Muslim population till 711 when Muhammad bin Qasim’s Arab army attacked Sindh. Defending their motherland valiantly during repeated Muslim attacks for over a thousand years, Hindus lost areas now known as Afghanistan in 987, and Pakistan and Bangladesh to Muslims in 1947 besides losing millions of lives, and suffering destruction and plunder of thousands of their temples.
After Muslim domination, India was under British domination from 1857 to 1947.
Formed in 1906, Muslim League demanded Pakistan for Muslims on 23rd March, 1940 when Muhammad Ali Jinnah proclaimed in Lahore that Hindus and Muslims belonged to two different religions, civilizations and nations which could never live together in one country; and demanded Pakistan, a separate country for Muslims, comprising Muslim majority areas in undivided India.
In the elections held in 1945-46, Muslims overwhelmingly voted for the Muslim League, and for the creation of Pakistan.
In 1947, Indian National Congress conceded the demand for Pakistan; and Muslims got Pakistan comprising West Pakistan (presently Pakistan) and East Pakistan (presently Bangladesh).
Both Pakistan and Bangladesh are declared as Islamic Republics, and have driven out most of Hindus and Sikhs from their land.  However, most Indian Muslims who had demanded Pakistan and exchange of population stayed back in India, and did not go to Pakistan. Rather, the present percentage of Muslim population in India is much higher than that in 1947.
Ignoble designs
Pakistani army which is anti-India and anti-Hindu wields real power in Pakistan. Pakistan’s army and its intelligence agency I.S.I. in collaboration with Bangladesh are determined to demolish India by planting more Pakistans and Bangladeshs on Indian soil; and for this purpose, Pak-Bangla combine has sent countless terrorists and crores of its nationals into India.
Successive Indian governments responded to the menace of Pak-Bangla demographic invasion with denial and inaction; and also with Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla train and bus services. And with Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla cricket matches.
Terrible message of Indo-Pak cricket
What message does this misadventure of Indo-Pak cricket convey?
Indo-Pak cricket implies that Pakistan was justified in driving out Hindus and Sikhs from its land after the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
Indo-Pak cricket means that Pakistan is justified in allowing the kidnapping and forcible conversion of Hindu girls and their marriage to Muslims in Pakistan.
Indo-Pak cricket means that Pakistan was justified in implementing genocide of Kashmiri Hindus and their eviction from Kashmir during 1989-1990.
Indo-Pak cricket also shows that Pakistan is justified in exporting terrorism to Kashmir and elsewhere in India.
Indo-Pak cricket means forgetting the martyrs who have lost their lives in fighting Pakistan’s proxy war in Kashmir. And the said war is still continuing which our security forces are fighting every day.
Indo-Pak cricket justifies Pakistan’s frequent terrorist attacks which have killed thousands of innocents in India. And it would also invite more such attacks.
Indo-Pak cricket means that the sentiments of families of countless innocents and martyrs who sacrificed their lives in terrorist attacks upon India do not matter.
Indo-Pak cricket also legitimises Pakistan’s school education which teaches hatred for India and Hindus.
Indo-Pak cricket would also justify Pak-Bangla efforts to plant more Pakistanis and Bangladeshis on Indian soil by infiltration of crores of Pak-Bangla nationals into India. 
And considering all the above-mentioned facts, there can be nothing more shameful and more self-destructive for India than inviting Pakistan to play cricket with India.
Way out         
Though there is no logic why India should have cricket ties with Pakistan, pro-Pakistan lobby in India keeps on supporting such measures to appease Pakistan. But history shows that appeasement never works since the aggressor grows more aggressive when appeased.
Why should India be so craven to appease Pakistan though Pakistan wants to demolish India?
Much of the injury India is suffering is self-inflicted since though India can take deterrent action and stop Pak-Bangla demographic and terrorist invasion, it is adopting the policy of appeasement which is bringing more attacks.
Indo-Pak peace talks or Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangla sports and cultural ties and Indo-Pak / Indo-Bangla bus and rail links are against India’s national interests, and must be discarded forthwith.
Besides, what is required is the implementation of Supreme Court’s judgements dated July 12, 2005 and December 5, 2006, to deport the infiltrators and liberate India from aggressors; and not Indo-Pak cricket.
Pak-Bangla combine is exploiting India’s politics of appeasement and surrender. But Peace comes from strength; and not from surrender.
Nationalist individuals and organisations must assert themselves and force the government to snap all trade, cultural and sports links with Pak-Bangla combine, and ban Pak-Bangla nationals to play in IPL and Indian Hockey League and such other platforms, and to appear on Indian television channels and stage shows till Pak-Bangla combine gives up terrorism and its nefarious design to destroy India and plant more Pakistanis and Bangladeshis on Indian soil.
(The author is former Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.  His  e-mail:  jgarora@gmail.com )