Sri Lankan cricketers attacked in Pakistan

Whether Pakistan accepts it or not, their playing with fire has ultimately begun to consume it in the flames it helped create and fan. I wonder how they expected to escape getting burnt in their own fire. Over a period of time, one has read about the SWAT valley being handed over to the Taliban, the NWFP and the FATA region being out of the control of the Pakistani government. All these are signs that the so called civilian government is in no position to control the terror forces it helped create against India and Afghanistan. The monster has become too big to control – even the handlers in the ISI probably now have their tails between their legs as their protégés stop listening to them and act on their own. Historically, politically created monsters have always ended up consuming their creators in the sub continent – Indira Gandhi by the Sikh fundamentalists (she created Bhindranwale and had to attack the Golden Temple to kill him and his movement) who killed her in revenge. Rajiv Gandhi for sending the IPKF against LTTE (supported initially by the Indians) – they blew him up. Benazir Bhutto by the terrorists who she had turned a blind eye to as they gained in strength and stature when she was in power.

Now they have stooped to attacking overseas sportsmen – the victims being the Sri Lankan cricketers. The Sri Lankans were probably destined to be shot – as they had agreed to go on the Pakistan tour because the western nations had dropped out. It is sad to see a country coming to this sorry pass – five policemen have lost their lives and half a dozen cricketers injured – thank God they are safe! The attackers used rocket launchers and threw hand grenades which all thankfully missed the intended target (God always smiles even in times of tragedy) after which the attackers straffed the bus with AK47 fire injuring the cricketers.

I am sure the Pakistani authorities are going to blame the Indians for the attack, because that has kind of become a reflex defense mechanism for them. Instead of pointing fingers, it is high time the saner people in Pakistan realized that their country is on the verge of imploding – an implosion with nuclear weapons likely to fall into rogue hands. That is the scenario the West has feared for a long time – and have probably helped create by funding Pakistan for War on Terror. The terror has now actually come home to roost.

Pakistan will have to make a serious effort to cleanse its ISI and the hard core fundamentalists in its armed and police forces if it wants to survive as a nation. It is India’s tragedy that Pakistan is its neighbor and we cannot choose our neighbors but have to live with them. We have three very unstable neighbors in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which are all undergoing some form of conflict or the other. How I wish Pakistan was US’s neighbor, maybe then they would have been more circumspect while distributing largesse to the Pakistani government and military!

I seriously think all international sporting ties in Pakistan should be suspended till some degree of sanity is established in that nation. I wonder what Imran Khan has to say – especially as he has become quite the fundamentalist after entering politics. Some people end up doing anything for power – even ex-playboys. I am sure he will be proud about what the terrorists have achieved – maybe he will find some Indians to blame for it too!