WAR is an extension of diplomacy, said military scientist Clausewitz. Diplomacy has been the keynote of international relations in the last 100 years. The latest is cricket diplomacy. Pakistan’s interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan suggested a few days ago that his government could host a cricket match with Taliban militants in Pakistan to revive stalled talks. He stressed that cricket could be a game for peace. The militants may be primarily interested in gun battles but it is interesting to know that they are equally keen on cricketing gear and the fight between bat and ball. What is surprising is that the militant group is well clued up on cricket news. In 2012, it had sent a message of support to the Afghan national cricket team on the eve of its first ODI against Pakistan. When Sachin Tendulkar retired last year, they criticized those who refused to give him the honour that was due to him because he was an Indian. It was like refusing to recognize dead militants as martyrs, they said.
The offer to play a cricket match coming from Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan is well timed. Pakistan and Afghanistan are locking horns in the Asia Cup. Bats and balls are decidedly better than guns and bullets. Only a war monger like Adolf Hitler could say that he preferred guns to butter. Pakistan is well equipped for a friendly match. It has the celebrated all rounder Imran Khan on the political crease. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also faced West Indian pace bowlers in a warm-up game before the 1987 World Cup. The Taliban themselves could perhaps spring a few surprises on the pitch. Unfortunately, so far there has been a cold response from them to the proposal holding out entertaining prospects. The militants perhaps prefer spilling blood to piling up runs.
