Here is the today’s link

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Addictions/entry/no-pakistani-in-ipl-is

A response I left on Nitin’s latest post:

Nitin: Re. “…it is self-defeating to turn away influential and talented Pakistanis…”

I am not so sure…How many of these influential and talented Pakistanis have raised their voice against the Jihadi mindset (or indeed the military-jihadi complex) that dominates the average Pakistani’s perception of India?

As for “It is in India’s interests to be a magnet for the subcontinent—and the world’s—talent”, yes, indeed…but it is also in India’s interest to act…and send a strong signal when certain lines are crossed, rather than to continue in “business as usual” mode.

Is this a New Awakening in India ( link above).

Not being the one to believe in “Don’t mix Sports with Politics” messages. For once, I feel good that a new message is being sent back. The question is how long will this continue.

It’s so sad to reach the comments by the Pakistani cricketers, who blame India. Want to ask these same blokes, how many of them came out and condemned the Mumbai attacks.

From TOI’s Cunning “Aman ki Asha” Plan by Atanu Dey:

…To start off with, the Pakistanis whom the TOI wants Indians to get into bed with are not in charge of the nukes or even the army. The military-jihadi complex is not run by cricketers, qawwali singers and assorted movie actors and their hanger-ons. The constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is not interpreted by consulting those cardboard cutouts who fly into India to play footsies with their counterparts in India. The sharia — Islamic law that rules Pakistan — is not for the convenience of the glitterati.

The generals and the mullahs control Pakistan. It is said that the three A’s matter to Pakistan: America, Army and Allah. But it appears that the Taliban, the soldiers of Allah, are giving a good fight to the Army and America. There’s infighting among the forces that dictate Pakistan’s fortunes. In a sense, India, even if it meant to harm Pakistan — and I am sure that India does not mean harm — it would be wholly unnecessary. The three A’s are more than capable of destroying Pakistan, without India’s help.

But I don’t suppose the TOI will allow facts to intrude into their fantastic wet-dreams of love transforming the foaming at the mouth mullahs into peaceniks or dismantling the Islam nukes that ummah celebrates.

The TOI published a hilarious piece titled “Peace with Pak: Pitching for friendship, On And Off The Field” today. A bunch of cricketers from India and Pakistan writing about how wonderful they all are.

I think it is unfair to publish what cricketers write or say about matters not related to cricket or their own bowel movements. They are not for the most part celebrities for their ability to reason or analyse matters. Their reasoning ability compares rather unfavorably with my ability to play cricket — and I don’t even know what is the proper way to hold the racket for playing cricket.
…
Actually, the cricketers are not the worst offenders when it comes to the paeans they sing to how hospitable the Pakistanis are. The jhollawalahs are much worse. They go to Pakistan, sit around in mushairas, eat biriyani and give each other hugs. Then they come back and lecture Indians that they are evil and that India should disband its military and disarm because how can anyone have anything to fear from such loving people.

The people you meet at fancy parties can afford to be loving. They can afford to stuff you with rich food, even as a hundred million of their fellow Pakistanis are starving. They can tell you how much they appreciate your wonderful friendship. But that does not change the reality that Pakistani state policy is dictated by America, Army and Allah.

***

and from The Amazing Certitude of Rajmohan Gandhi:
…
How exactly, for instance, Rajmohan Gandhi knows that “at least 19 out of 20″ Pakistanis hate the violent Jihadists and not 18 or Lord be praised, 20 out of 20? This is not a rhetorical question: It is infuriating that serious scholars–Gandhi is the author of multiple books and is currently a research professor of History at the University of Illinois– would so casually drop figures merely to strengthen their pre-decided conclusions. Indeed, Gandhi could have made the same arguments without such utter disdain for empirical work but perhaps to the casual reader that would not have carried the same conviction. What is particularly galling is that Mr Gandhi concludes there is no difference across the spectrum with even the military turning against the militants. Forget all the talk about strategic depth or reluctance to act against the Haqqani network in Afghanistan despite strong warnings from President Obama.

Now, actual empirical work does suggest that there is growing concern among common Pakistanis about the extremism ravaging their country. But to argue that the military jihadi complex–the real power center in that country–has been dismantled and the entire nation of Pakistan marches as one against the militants abandoning a policy which that state has pursued for pretty much its entire existence is just wishful thinking. Worst of course is the demand that Indian policies should be guided by such errant and muddled thinking.