Sharp divisions exist on this matter and necessity of the move is far from irrefutable, but a decision has been made – the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final will be held in Lahore. The state has invested heavily and seems to be determined to see this out through the end.

The fact that this will require a massive security undertaking and extensive administrative legwork is already obvious. The ‘five tier’ security plan mooted by the authorities will require a large diversion of resources and manpower to venue, in an event that will most probably paralyse large sections of the city.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is faced with problems of its own, foreign players such as Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright from Quetta Gladiators – one of the qualifying teams – have backed out from the Lahore final, while other players from other teams are mulling the decision. The PCB also has to find replacement commentators and operators of review equipment such as HawkEye and ball tracking, as the UK based production company which managed these aspects has also withdrawn itself.

One has to wonder that with all these contortions and setbacks, is the image that the state is trying to portray – Pakistan is safe for cricket – getting across at all?

Perhaps not, and the state recognises that. The true return of cricket to the country has been pushed back several years, even if we hold a successful final. But the Lahore final has morphed into something bigger than a mere cricket match which demonstrates Pakistan’s safety for international cricket – it is now a show of defiance to terrorism and a symbol of our resolve to fight.

That is an objective that justifies taking the massive risk involved in holding the final in Lahore. If the event was called off, the terrorists would win, at least as far as their goal to spread fear and panic is concerned. That is why the state is – and should be – forging ahead. A reserve pool of foreign players is being readied for re-selection, a Dubai based company is being hired for production, Waqar Younis may do the commentary and a drone camera will replace the spider-cam. All problems can be solved and the state for once, looks completely committed to this path.

Barring any untoward event, the payoff is set to be immense. For a brief moment in time, Pakistan will be united in a celebration like no other, the national anthem being sung by 20,000 citizens and the people defiant. That is why we must make this happen.