On a sticky wicket

Veena Malik and Ashmit Patel

Cricket diplomacy gets a new meaning, as Pak artistes in Bollywood prefer to play the neutral card when asked about the Indo-Pak clash tomorrow

If all goes well, Pakistan's hottest export to India and Bigg Boss inmate, the very controversial Veena Malik will be seen at Mohali on Wednesday with soul mate Ashmit Patel by her side.

This match, which has been accompanied by deafening hype, especially now that the Indian Prime Minister's invitation to his Pak counterpart has been accepted, might prove to be a sticky wicket for some. 

Especially for Pak artistes in Bollywood who live and work in the country but are either wary about their loyalty or prefer to take the safe, we-are-neutral path.

Veena who loves cricket and cricketers, is at the moment divided in her love for actor Ashmit Patel and the game. Veena is in India, to be part of two cricket shows on Indian television. She says, "Some people compare me to Mandira Bedi. But I am happy being who I am. 

I love cricket, though commenting on it is not something I thought I would do. But life is such. You never know where it takes you."

 At the moment it is off to Mohali for Veena where she will be sharing seating space (so to speak) with her country's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani watching the two politically divided countries playing the World Cup semi-final.

Veena is absolutely sure about where her loyalties lie. "It's very simple, really. My heart says I should support Pakistan at the match. It has given me my identity and all I have. India, on the other hand, has given me so much love and fabulous career opportunities."

So how will the saucy temptress who has defiantly thrown off the burkha, cope with the main idhar-jaaon-yaa-udhar-jaaon dilemma? "The Indian team is a favourite to win the Cup. 

But I am Pakistani. So I will paint the Pak flag on one cheek and the Indian flag on the other cheek. And may the best team win on Wednesday."

Veena does have her favourites amongst the cricketers from both sides. "Yuvraj and Afridi both play from the heart and believe in playing fair cricket. I'm a huge fan of Sachin Tendulkar. But only when he isn't playing against Pakistan." She laughs loudly at that one. 

 Her other entertainer-colleague from Pakistan, the pop star Ali Zafar is not quite a cricket fiend. Though he was not available for comment and would not be in the country to watch the match on Wednesday, a source close to Ali said, "Ali isn't into politics or cricket. Music is his life. 

And now he's into acting. He would like to keep his art free of politics and the politics of cricket. He does though enjoy watching the maestros of both the teams doing their thing on the field."

For Adnan Sami, who has made Mumbai his home for 10 years now, the situation gets tricky. He has close ties with Pakistan and the Pakistan Prime Minister but has chosen to stay away from the match on Wednesday to avoid his loyalty being questioned.

 Not that Adnan's loyalty is under scrutiny. Says the musician, "I'm only remotely interested in cricket as a sport and find it ludicrous to give it a political connotation. Pakistani or Indian, we should treat the match on Wednesday as a game." Adnan recently shot a music video with Harbhajan Singh. "It was so much fun. I loved the give-and-take between music and cricket. 

Why have we stopped looking at cricket as a sport? Why has it become a matter of life and death to some? We need to regain the lost pleasure of just see the game for what it is about.

 

A chance for the two countries to share the same field. Giving a political twist to a simple game is contrary to the fundamental spirit of sportsmanship. What I say about the match on Wednesday is may the best man win."

When asked about his favourite cricketers, Adnan reveals, "If I adore Sachin as a great batsman, I also admire Shoaib as a great bowler. Can anyone who is an avid sports enthusiast and devoid of political leanings challenge the adulation of the two, regardless of country, class or creed?"

 Adnan cites the example of  renowned singer Lata Mangeshkar who loves cricket and draws no geo-political distinction.  Says Adnan, "Lataji loves cricket. And I worship Lataji. I want to personally escort her to Pakistan to show her how much people there love her.

Whether it's sports or show business, the differences across the border dissolve. Every Pakistani loves Lataji and Sachin. In Mumbai, I was never made to feel like an outsider. So why must we think of cricketers as 'them' and 'us'? It's a game which involves two sides. As simple as that."

Pakistani cricketers have been visiting India for both professional and personal reasons. Wasim Akram and Sushmita Sen hit it off like a house on fire. He invited her to visit his country. 

The offer still stands. When earlier Sushmita was asked about Wasim she had commented, "I don't think friendship is defined by geography and politics. 

You like a human being for what he is, not where he belongs." Tennis player Sania Mirza is married to Pakistan cricketer, Shoaib Malik. So, in Mohali, which team would he be cheering for? Your politics is as good as mine.

We are nuclear because of India: Mush Pakistan is a "very dangerous" country, its former President Pervez Musharraf has admitted recently. "It is very dangerous, yes, I will have to admit," Musharraf told Time magazine when asked during an interview whether Pakistan was the most dangerous country in the world.

The most dangerous country is Afghanistan, according to Musharraf, who is now living in exile in London and is planning to return home to run for the post of the president, which he left in 2008. He is also wanted in his country in connection with the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Asked which is more of a threat to Pakistan extremism or India, he said, "At the moment, it's extremism and terrorism. But you can't compare. Let's not think this is a permanent situation. The orientation of 90 per cent of Indian troops is against Pakistan.

 

We cannot ever ignore India, which poses an existential threat to Pakistan."

When pointed out that he had stepped down at the behest of people and the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt saw their rulers being toppled, Musharraf said, "I would like to seriously object to the comparison. I left peacefully through my own volition. So please don't compare me to those two."

On what advice he would give to embattled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, he said, "The will of the people should reign supreme. It's almost a civil war there. A political situation must be found."

To a question on his plans to return to Pakistan to run again for the presidential post, Musharraf said, "For the sake of Pakistan. I am very comfortable. I go around the world lecturing, and they pay me well. But there is a cause bigger than the self. I governed the country for nine years successfully. 

So I don't have to reinvent the wheel. And I know Pakistan is suffering. I know there is a vacuum of leadership. Therefore the cause of Pakistan pulls me toward my destiny. Maybe it's a call of destiny much more for the nation than for myself."

On if he saw any good leadership in Pakistan that will shift the country from the grip of religious extremists, Musharraf replied, "That is why I want to go back."

Responding to a question on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, he said, "...Yes, we have nuclear weapons, and we are proud of it. Nuclear weapons are the pride of every man, woman and child walking in the streets of Pakistan. Why are we nuclear? Because of India."