Jawaharlal Nehru the first Prime Minister of India was a visionary, he had a vision that Communist China and USA will join together for the betterment of the world though USA was responsible for boycotting Communist China from World forum. For many years from the time of establishment of Communist China, USA isolated Communist China and denied her a place in the UNO. In the early years of its Premiership, Nehru tried his level best by impressing upon USA leadership to condescend and allow Communist China to take its seat in the UN for the good of World Peace. Nehru even told US leadership including President John F. Kennedy that by keeping Communist China out of UN you are allowing Communist China to inflict more damages on World peace. Out of UN, Communist China is more confrontationist than inside UN, hence it is better to allow Communist China into the World Body. By keeping out of UN the USA thought that it will make Communist China to beg US for mercy but nothing of that sort happened. Communist China under its brand of communism made her people to accept the theory �it is better to be a master in hell than a slave in heaven� and thus lived their own way even defying US and its authority. Nehru was sad to see Communist China such a mighty power out of world body but he realized strongly that either today or tomorrow, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow US will go to Communist China on bended knees directly or indirectly to give an invitation to join UN. Finally this was what exactly happened during the tenure of President Richard Nixon.
Henry Kissinger is a great scholar. President Richard Nixon appointed him as his Secretary of State and entrusted him with much freedom to deal with world affairs. As a clever person, Kissinger realized the visionary thoughts of Nehru on Communist China and took a step to bring about reconciliation between the two gigantic nations. But now the question remained was this: Who will bell the cat and how? Yes, virgin diplomacy had to be applied and it was applied thru the method of Sports. Communist China and USA had to be first brought on talking terms. This was done first thru the diplomacy of the game of �Ping Pong�. During those days Communist China had world best Ping-Pong players. To open the door for USA to enter China, USA thru the mediation of Henry Kissinger sent its best Ping Pong squad to Communist China to play some friendlies though US was not a giant like Communist China in this game. US Ping Pong squad got fabulous welcome, world hailed this step of Nixon initiated thru Kissinger and from here the reconciliation process between Communist China and USA started and went on blossoming till Communist China not only allotted a seat in World Body but also given preferential Seat of Veto Power which Communist China now occupies. Unfortunately, Nehru was no more when all these have happened, he should have been alive to see his vision coming to reality. Nehru always insisted that in order to tame your enemy you should bring him in the open forum instead of isolating him alone to do what he wants against the norms of society.
Since 1947 India and Pakistan fought three open and deadly wars and all were in favour of India. Besides these three major wars both India and Pakistan created lot of complications for both the nations by fighting proxy wars. Pakistan takes a leading role in this proxy war because Pakistan knows that it cannot afford to fight a direct war with India. Even if Pakistan possesses piles of nuclear weapons meant to use against India nothing much will happen to India. If there is a nuclear war with India, no doubt India will suffer tremendously but atleast some traces of India will remain on this planet but if India retaliates there will be no traces of Pakistan at all on this planet. Pakistan is a hurt nation because it is due to the backing of India that it lost its one eastern wing which is Bangladesh now. Pakistan will always have grudge against India because India has in all the previous wars humiliated Pakistan. General Musharraf was one of the persons responsible for the Kargil fiasco and he is more anti-Indian than many of his militarists. But after 11th September world political scenario has been changed and some of the Muslims nations are looked upon with suspicion by US. Today US rules the world and whatever it wants to happen in this world that alone will happen. Taleban regime evaporated like Ether. Saddam�s regime collapsed like a pack of Cards. Taleban regime had no proper sophisticated gun to defend itself from enemy attack and yet they were ruling a nation with only false slogans. Saddam Hussain�s Iraq had no proper strategy of war inspite of having a huge army and worn out weapons and yet it wanted to defy world. Saddam Hussein who was ruling Iraq like an emperor finally caught in a small hole like a cockroach. He who built palaces and bungalows to live a luxurious life with all the luxuries under his command finally had to spend his last days in a spider-hole. A shameless person, instead of surrendering he should have committed suicide like Hitler. I refuse to equate Saddam Hussein with Hitler. Comparatively, Hitler had more dignity while Saddam had no dignity at all and because of this he surrendered to his deadly enemies like a cockroach. A man afraid of death has no place in this world.
After long years of enmity Pakistan was forced to surrender by some forces to reconcile with India and India also was forced to make amends in its rigid dealings with Pakistan. It is not only the two nations that are required to reconcile but also the two peoples. Hence, like Ping Pong diplomacy, Cricket diplomacy is come into picture once again and hence India took a big decision to go to Pakistan with its Cricket Team to play Cricket in Pakistan and bring about much required rapport not only between the two nations but also between the two peoples who are many times misguided by their selfish and parochial minded leaders. The way Communist China and USA cannot create a barrier between them so also India and Pakistan cannot create a barrier between them. India and Pakistan once were one unit and one people having same culture, tradition, history and linguistic affinity. These attributes should surely unite us further and not devide us further in the name of religion. Religion does not necessarily unite people, it may be one of the attributes of unity. Since sports is a good weapon of furthering goodwill I feel Cricket also will help India and Pakistan furthering goodwill between the two nations and their peoples and thru this goodwill let there be peace and prosperity in both the countries and for both the peoples. Let sports be a very good diplomatic method of creating friendship and peace in the world and between India and Pakistan let there be true friendship thru the game of Cricket and thru this let the past be buried forever and let the future develop in peaceful way. For peace and prosperity between India and Pakistan production of nuclear and other deadly weapons is useless. All these weapons in due course of time will be dead stock. What is required for peace and prosperity between India and Pakistan is goodwill and fiendship which the game of Cricket must produce. God willing it will produce.
A. Veronica Fernandes, Kuwait.
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