Opinion Printline Pakistan
Reacting to the exclusion of its cricketers from the upcoming Indian Premier League,Daily Times reported on January...
State of play
Reacting to the exclusion of its cricketers from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL),Daily Times reported on January 26: Lahore High Court Chief Justice (CJ) Khawaja Muhammad Sharif issued notices to the Ministry of Sports and Culture and the Association of Film Producers for February 9 on a petition seeking ban on the screening of Indian films in Pakistan. The CJ also directed the petitioner,Muhammad Hussain,to assist the court in determining the authority under which the court could ban the screening of Indian movies in Pakistan. Ishtiaq Ahmed Chaudhry,counsel for the petitioner,submitted that the Indian Premier League (IPL) had humiliated the Pakistani players and the nation while Indian films were being exhibited in cinemas throughout the country. He requested the court to ban the screening of Indian films until the Indian government apologises from Pakistani cricketers and the nation. Not to be left behind,the government chipped in,as Daily Times reported on January 26: Pakistan has successfully mobilised the defunct six-plus-two talks formula to counter the US pressure regarding giving India a greater role in warn-torn Afghanistans rehabilitation… Diplomatic sources said Pakistan has been lobbying for the renewal of talks among Afghanistans neighbours in order to foil Indian designs of gaining a foothold on Afghan soil. Pakistan believes India is not an immediate neighbour of Afghanistan and therefore should have limited role in the country… It is not possible for us to give India a role in Afghanistan as it is using Afghan soil to destabilise Pakistan. Also,India has been traditionally aligned with Russia and played a part in the destruction of Afghanistan, sources said.
American counsel
Dawn carried a report on January 28 stating: The US urged India to be transparent with Pakistan about their activities in Afghanistan. At a briefing at the Pentagon,spokesman Geoff Morrell also discounted the Indian role in training Afghan security forces. The Pentagon press secretary said US Defence Secretary Robert Gates had discussed the Afghan situation with Indian leaders,including the issues that concerned Pakistan,when he visited New Delhi last week… The US made another attempt to douse the flames erupting between India and Pakistan every now and then,as Dawn reported on January 27: In a gathering that included senior Pakistani and Indian military officials,the US military chief urged all senior officers in attendance to avoid the kind of public disputes that have hurt regional relations in the past. I think its really important that we work as hard as we can with each other,and that any kind of public accusations or public finger pointing,quite frankly,that does not serve any of us well, said Admiral Mike Mullen. That doesnt mean we wont have disagreements. But I hope that we can do that privately,and not publicly. Although the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff did not mention any particular dispute or country,it seemed an obvious reference to an altercation between India and Pakistan earlier this month over a statement by Indian Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor.
Profiling wont fly
Pakistans public outcry against the recent US announcement to screen passengers of Pakistani origin among others flying in and out of America might bear fruit,suggests an exclusive news item in Dawn on January 26. US Senator Joe Lieberman,chairman of the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs,and Ambassador Husain Haqqani are expected to announce… Pakistans removal from a list of countries earmarked for additional security. Earlier this month,the US government issued a list of 14 countries whose citizens will have to go through additional security searches while coming to the United States. These include body searches for both male and female visitors,a restriction that caused uproar in Pakistan.
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