Sporting nation

Notwithstanding the fact that three Test series between Indian and Pakistan drew only a fraction of the crowd that flocked the stadia for the five-match limited overs series preceding it, it would be churlish not to acknowledge the warmth with which Pakistanis hosted Saurav Ganguly8217;s team. Indeed, some 20,000 Indian cricket tourists travelled across the Wagah and came back with, in the main, happy memories. Given that the last time India and Pakistan played each other in a Test match 8212; Kolkata, 1999 8212; the stands had to be vacated of a restive crowd, the past month8217;s achievement stands out. An obvious question follows: Is cricket diplomacy more than a smart buzzphrase? Is there a larger lesson from the cricket tour for foreign policy practitioners in New Delhi and Islamabad? On the surface, the answer is a dismissive 8220;no8221;. Sport is an emotional rollercoaster, diplomacy the stuff of cold, dispassionate calculation. Yet it would be futile not to recognise that India has walked away from Pakistan with more than just the Samsung Cup. It has found itself a hitherto unrecognised ally: Pakistani civil society. Whatever its dimensions, there is clearly a domestic sentiment in Pakistan that yearns for normality, for an idea of nation and self born less of hyper-Islamism and more of middle class aspiration. It was this sentiment that applauded India8217;s victory on the field. It is this sentiment that can be India8217;s force multiplier in diplomacy8217;s conference room.

Cynics will argue that Ganguly8217;s team didn8217;t meet the 8220;real8221; Pakistan, that its interlocutors were vetted, the crowds screened. It is impossible to believe though that an entire society can be in masquerade mode for a whole month. Obviously there is a disconnect between a junta-dominated polity that insists 8220;Kashmir is the core issue8221; and an ordinary citizenry that hasn8217;t seen Kashmir as any sort of issue in at least three successive national elections, that is okay with making a fresh start with India so long as its dignity is not compromised, that is fed up of the jihadi label pinned to it, that simply wants to get on with life.

One cricket series will not iron out the complexity of Indo-Pakistani relations. Yet people-to-people contact can play a role in making the Other somewhat less of an ogre. As it gathers momentum, it can, however minutely, nudge policy-makers; when it acquires critical mass, it could even influence policy. That may be some years off but for the Foreign Office, the message is clear: Unilateral goodwill gestures to ordinary Pakistanis, in the form of a more liberal visa regime for instance, can only promote India8217;s long-term goals. As for Pakistan8217;s generals, they are welcome to join the party or remain in the cold.