Pervez Musharraf, the architect of the 1999 Kargil conflict and Pakistan’s former navy ruler, liked his cricket.
Musharraf, who died in a Dubai hospital on Sunday, used cricket as a powerful diplomatic device to enhance ties between the 2 international locations when he led Pakistan first as chief govt after which as president. led.
An ardent follower of the sport, Musharraf wasted no time in bringing in his blue-eyed lieutenant-general Tauqir Zia as chairman of the cricket board quickly after his navy coup in October 1999.
But in 2003 when he discovered that Tauqeer’s son Junaid had performed for Pakistan, Musharraf requested the PCB chairman to resign as he noticed the entire episode as a battle of curiosity.
Musharraf introduced in former profession diplomat and former overseas secretary Shaharyar Khan, who had served as ambassador in New Delhi, to guide the cricket board.
And just a few months later, Shaharyar fulfilled Musharraf’s ambition of an Indian crew touring Pakistan.
Prior to Musharraf’s coup, Pakistan had visited India as early as 1999, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Indian Prime Minister, however thereafter there have been no bilateral exchanges between the 2 international locations till 2004.
The Indian crew led by Sourav Ganguly arrived in March–April 2004 and proved to be a famous diplomatic success for the navy ruler as India’s prime names together with authorities ministers and celebrities had been invited to Pakistan to observe the match with purple carpet therapy. it was accomplished. has been saved for them.
The tour was successful and Musharraf by no means missed a photograph shoot with the Indian crew and his well-known remark about MS Dhoni’s coiffure turned successful in each the international locations.
His assembly with the gamers of the Indian crew was geared toward softening the ties between the 2 international locations and projecting himself as a benevolent and beneficiant chief.
And the plan labored to a terrific extent as no Pakistani premier or president has had extra Indo-Pak bilateral sequence than underneath Musharraf.
After the 2004 sequence, India visited Pakistan once more in early 2006, whereas the Pakistan crew additionally toured India for the primary time in 2005 for a full Test sequence after which returned to Pakistan in 2007 for the Asia Cup in 2008.
Before Musharraf’s time, bilateral visits between the 2 international locations had been few and much between. Pakistan visited India in 1979-80 after a spot of about 18 years and India visited Pakistan in 1978/79 for the primary time since 1954/55.
Ironically, these excursions additionally came about within the late 70s underneath one other navy dictator, General Zia-ul-Haq, who additionally used cricket diplomacy to defuse tensions.
Musharraf himself by no means missed a chance to observe a cricket match in India when Pakistan was taking part in. In 2005, he was given a heat welcome on the Feroz Shah Kotla floor.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
