Would Bal Thackeray death have a positive impact on Pak-India cricket ties? Indian Hindu extremist group Shiv Sena’s chief Bal Thackeray’s death was definitely sad news, but would this prove to be positive sign for the future of Pakistan India cricket ties? Only time will tell. It will greatly depend on who inherits the party. India halted cricket matches with Pakistan after the Mumbai attack, but earlier this month they had approved a short tour announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in July. Soon after the announcement the right-wing Shiv Sena and Vishwa Hindu Parishad threatened to sabotage the forthcoming Pakistan Indian Cricket series. Pakistan will meet their archrivals in five one-day internationals and two Twenty20s in December and January, their first full series since 2007, but Indian Hindu groups have urged Delhi to cancel and threatened protests. The right-wing Shiv Sena and Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded that India refuse to resume cricket ties until Pakistan brings to justice the masterminds behind the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead.
RAJA ZAHID MEHMOOD,
Islamabad, November 17.