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Cricket diplomacy: can a game heal India and Pakistan?

24 11
28.05.2025

In a small village near the outskirts of Karachi, an elderly shopkeeper once told me, "When India and Pakistan play, even the birds stop to watch the game." His words echo across the subcontinent with a reminder that cricket isn't just a sport here. It's a shared heartbeat.

Yet today, as soldiers glare across borders and politicians trade barbs, that heartbeat falters. The world witnessed the last bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan in 2012. A generation of children has grown up watching their heroes clash only in ICC tournaments, their rivalry reduced to a spectacle mediated by neutral venues of the UAE and England. But what if we dared to let cricket reclaim its role as more than a game? What if, once again, it became a language of hope?

When the Bat Spoke Louder Than Politics

I'll never forget the 2004 Karachi Test. An Indian team toured Pakistan after 14 years. My maternal grandfather, a Karachiite who lost family members during Partition, nearly wept as he watched Pakistani fans........

© The Express Tribune