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Pakistan’s cheers

Pakistan’s hockey victory at the Asian Games was not merely a sports’ feat. It was a well-desired achievement for the enterprising nation that had been longing for such moments to cherish in an otherwise environment of gloom and pessimism.

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The 2-0 win over Malaysia in China’s Guangzhou city would definitely come as a morale booster for the under-achievers, who have qualified for the 2012 London Olympics by virtue of this surprising triumph.

This, along with the victory of Pakistan’s women cricket team in the same tournament, which bagged a gold, should come as a soul-searching moment for the scandal-ridden Pakistan Cricket team, which of late has been in the eye of the storm. The very fact that veteran Sohail Abbas and his boys clinched the first place and made their national flag fly high, irrespective of the inherent weaknesses of the team management, goes on to prove the triumph of professionalism and national fervour over petty issues of administrative exigencies.

This spirit is in need of being re-enacted not only in other sport ventures, but also in the national life. The embattled government of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani can take a lesson or two from the hockey underdogs and surprise the nation and the world community by chartering a route of success, which should overcome poverty, terrorism and the prevailing sense of parochialism. But that would not be possible if the government keeps on taking refuge behind petty political considerations, and deliberately bypassing the path of an across-the-board accountability.

There are no two opinions in fighting corruption in Pakistan, but that again can’t be done under the very nose of people on whom the shadow of doubt falls. The selflessness demonstrated by team Pakistan in China would not have been possible had they not given up their personal ego and bickering for a superior cause. The politico-administrative enclave of the country is no exception, per se.

The boys who made history after 20 years of trial and error should be rewarded in all generosity. The problem with sportsmen in Pakistan is that they are not looked after by the state. Professional players cannot bring laurels to their country until and unless their socio-economic concerns are addressed, accordingly. A comprehensive master-plan and its execution in all sincerity for uplifting the national talent cannot be undermined any further.