This refers to your report “I was only trying to give a positive message “Afridi” (March 16). It reminded me of a sports quote “A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” Afridi’s statement that the national cricket team was “loved more in India” than in Pakistan shows his guts to speak in support of India and it also give a message that sport is like a link which excels region, religion, parochialism and patriotism. Cricketers are kind of like diplomats between India and Pakistan, as cricket is much loved in both the countries. No country should stifle freedom of expression. It has been a fashion that whenever Pakistan tours India or vice versa, there are elements in both the countries that come up with such preposterous statements to vitiate the atmosphere. Cricket has been, and it is an instrument of policy-makers determined to send a broader message to the general public. It is love and not nuclear power that can bring the two nations to respect each other.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
