Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram says he was devastated by the recent terror attacks in Mumbai. But that is no reason to suspend ties between India and Pakistan.
On November 26, I was watching television news with my family and friends, when the Mumbai terror attacks took place. None of us could have ever imagined that something like this could happen in Mumbai, and at the Taj too. Everyone in Pakistan — like in India — was scared. People were indoors, glued to their TV sets.
Everybody I spoke to in Pakistan was worried and concerned about the people caught in the attack. Truth is, both India and Pakistan have a lot in common, so it is only natural for us Pakistanis to feel for the Indians at a time like this.
Emotional ties
I have personal and commercial interests in India, though my personal ties, to me, are more important. I have friends in India who are like family; naturally, I was concerned about their safety. Moreover, people in India have always treated me warmly. I like their spirit. I was happy to see that they remained calm, despite the circumstances. This is very important during a crisis, because it is crucial not to get swayed by divisiveness. When people come together to share their grief, it makes them stronger and insulates them against the terrorists’ plans to divide them.
Fond memories of Taj, Trident
I stayed in the new wing of the Taj for the first time in 1987. Since then, I have stayed in the old wing several times, eaten at the various restaurants and enjoyed every moment of it. The last time I was in Mumbai, [cricketers] Jayasuriya, Muralitharan and I were at the old Taj for an ad shoot. I feel awful thinking about it now. I know people who work at the Taj; I even know a manager at the Trident. I have fond memories of both the hotels.
Mixed feelings
I had mixed feelings when the siege unfolded. My first thought was that it was wrong — this should never have happened in the first place. In Pakistan, we see such incidents far too often. But the aftermath is always more important: We need to maintain peace and stand together in support of one another. When a blast took place at the Marriot in Islamabad, it was a shock for us, since I used to frequent that hotel too. There was a blast in front of my children’s school too, and they were scared to attend school for a few days after that. Horrible as it sounds, in Pakistan, we are now learning to live with such things.
Indo-Pak people need to stand united
The only way to thwart terrorism is for India and Pakistan to stand together. I was to visit India for the Champions 20-20 League in December 2008, but I understand it’s still too soon for the authorities to think about cricket. The government and the people have always been pro-sport, so hopefully that will not change. There is no point in banning exchanges — whether in sport, music or anything creative — between the two countries. We have to put such terror attacks behind us and move on. India and Pakistan have built bridges with great difficulty; we can’t let those bridges burn down.
Need to keep ties alive
We need to keep out sports ties going. The governments of both countries have their compulsions, but it is in the interest of the people to keep our ties alive. It’s sad if my advertisements about diabetes have been pulled off the air. I suffer from diabetes, but people all over the world do, too. There can be no boundaries for sports or illnesses. I have visited innumerable hospitals in India (as I do in Pakistan) and try to encourage and help people, especially children, through their illness. I talk to them about my experiences. People on both sides of the border are the same to me. I will do anything to promote cricket in either Pakistan or India, just as I would work towards informing people about diabetes.
The future is in our hands
I have been through a lot of ups and downs in my cricket career. Right now, everything is going smoothly. My faith remains steadfast because I believe in life. I believe one should forgive and forget, and I feel that is the best solution. My family helps me keep the faith, and my passion for sport makes me continue to believe in Indo-Pak ties through cricket. I have done a lot of work in India and am thankful that I got opportunities to do so. I hope these will only increase because incidents like 26/11 are an opportunity for us to believe in ourselves and come together. The future is in our hands, and only we should have the prerogative to decide what it will look like.
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