NOVANEWS
By Sajjad Shaukat
Coupled with hostile propaganda campaign, India has continuously been arranging various acts
of terrorism like suicide attacks, bomb blasts, targeted killings and sectarian violence in
Baluchistan, Khyber Paktunkhwa, Sindh and Karachi including other regions of Pakistan through
its secret agency, RAW which has also terrorized the Zimbabwe cricket team to cancel its trip to
In this regard, on June 23, this year, Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada disclosed to the
members of the Punjab Assembly that Indian intelligence agency RAW sent a text message to
the manger of Zimbabwean cricket team in Dubai threatening them with “possibility of terrorism
in Pakistan and cancellation of tour”.
He revealed that the message received by the team manager was finally tracked down and it was
found that it had come from New Delhi and that RAW was behind this conspiracy to malign
Pakistan. He elaborated that India wanted that cricket series should be cancelled, so that
Pakistan’s image could be tarnished abroad, but all-out security was assured to the Zimbabwean
cricket team to foil nefarious designs of India.
The minister further pointed out that the biggest challenge for Pakistani law-enforcement
agencies including the police was to ensure security of cricket series which was restored by the
ICC after a lapse of six years, thanking LEAs for protecting the foreign team and helping
conduct the five-match series successfully.
He maintained that international agencies including RAW were responsible for 90 percent of the
However, Zimbabwe cricket authorities confirmed that Pakistan’s tour would go ahead as per
schedule, while foolproof security was given to the team, during its trip to Pakistan, started from
May 22, 2015. Interior ministry directed the authorities to make strict security arrangements even
Both sides played cricket matches—two twenty internationals on May 22 and 24, followed by
three one day internationals on May 26, 29 and 31, in Qaddafi Stadium Lahore. By setting aside
the RAW supported phenomenon of terrorism in wake of severe heat, thousands of persons went
to see the cricket matches at Qaddafi Stadium.
It is notable that revival of international cricket after six years was a cheerful occasion for
everyone. In this context, a letter of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said, “Sports for peace is our
message, we feel pride in hosting Zimbabwe cricket team in the city”.
Nevertheless, while indicating Pakistan’s soft image in the comity of nations, it is a collective
responsibility of all of us to not only highlight Pakistan’s positive aspect in connection with
sports, but also give a message to the world through print, electronic and social media that
Pakistan is a safe country for sports. And, particularly, it will be a way forward for other
international cricket teams to play in Pakistan.
It is of particular attention that Indian RAW was also behind the Lahore terror-attack on Sri
Lanka’s cricket team, on March 3, 2009. In this respect, the bus of the Sri Lankan team was
targeted, killing eight and injuring nine individuals including six visiting cricketers.
It is mentionable that under the pretext of Mumbai carnage of November 26, 2008, India had
cancelled the scheduled visit of its cricket team to Pakistan, while Sri Lanka accepted the
invitation of Islamabad. Indian rulers and its media anchors had expressed their displeasure at
Colombo’s decision. Hence, New Delhi clandestinely pressurized Sri Lanka’s government to
withdraw the decision. It could be judged from the fact that even Sri Lankan sports minister
Gamini Lokuge disclosed that Pakistan “tour had become a diplomatic issue”. Its Foreign
minister Rohitha Bogollagama stated that he decided the trip, taking it as a sporting issue, as his
country promoted “people-to-people visits” among South Asian member states.
In fact, despite Indian duress coupled with a sense of jealousy, Sri Lanka remained determined
and sent its cricketers to Pakistan. So, New Delhi punished Colombo through pre-arranged
terror-attacks, conducted by well-trained and well-equipped terrorists of RAW. In this regard, it
is noteworthy that in 2009, by striking a blow to the Indian backed militants of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and by capturing their strongholds; Sri Lankan security forces
successfully dismantled the Tigers’ mini-state in northern Sri Lanka where the rebels lost 98
percent of the territory, and were retreating even from their last bastion. On March 7, 2009, Sri
Lankan Foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama, while showing solidarity with Islamabad,
categorically expressed Sri Lanka’s firm opposition to isolate Pakistan in the sporting arena or in
any manner internationally over the incident of March 3, 2009.
Indian awkward strategy of mixing politics and sports is totally strange. Whether Indian team
plays with Pakistan or that of Sri Lanka or the latter with our team has positive impact in
restoring peace in South Asia, but regrettably, it is only anti-Pakistan and anti-Sri Lanka agenda
of New Delhi whom politics and sports make no difference. And India seems determined to
sabotage South Asian peace by terrorizing the cricket teams which intend to visit Pakistan.
If non-state actors are problem for New Delhi, these take origin from its own state terrorism,
being perpetrated on minorities and the freedom fighters of its six states, fighting for
independence. Indian brutal tactics of state terrorism, employed on the innocent persons in the
Indian-occupied Kashmir might be noted as special example in this context. In such a situation,
New Delhi should not have seek revenge against Pakistan and Sri Lanka by conducting terrorist
acts through RAW-trained agents in order to divert its attention from Indian home-grown
terrorists. Facing reality, New Delhi must better unearth the forces behind the Mumbai attack and
Notably, on July 19, 2013, the Indian former home ministry and ex-investigating officer Satish
Verma revealed that terror-attacks in Mumbai in November 26, 2008 and assault on Indian
Parliament in January 12, 2001 were carried out by the Indian government to strengthen anti-
terrorism laws. But, Indian top officials and media had blamed Islamabad and a Pakistan-based
group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for those attacks.
Nonetheless, RAW terrorized Zimbabwe cricket team by threatening the latter to sabotage
Pakistan’s tour, though this attempt badly failed.
