Second Chances
By Mowahid Hussain Shah
Nation-building is a field not to be trifled with. It has to be above tribal, provincial, sectarian, and ethno-national barriers.
Cricket is a field where Pakistan retains a significant international presence. It exemplifies the aspirations of so many. It also serves as an extension of national identity and amity. Strife-torn Peshawar was an emblem of hope and renewal when its cricket team, against all odds, won the Twenty20 national title. All the more reason that cricket not be used as a parking space to accommodate favorites. Look at hockey, now in shambles.
Fresh from its Ashes triumph, England is all set for its Emirates exposition where it contests Pakistan for a long 2-month tussle. At issue here is the question of rehabilitating the brilliant young left-arm fast bowler, Mohammad Amer, who has already paid his dues and punished for his transgressions whilst a misguided teenager. Now, we are told by vested quarters that he should not be allowed in. In effect, double jeopardy. That decision must be guided solely by what is in the paramount interests of Pakistan cricket.
It is pertinent to juxtapose here examples from elsewhere on similar challenges on the question of second chances.
Acclaimed quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons professional football team, Michael Vick, was convicted and served 19 months in prison for running an illegal gambling ring. President Obama called to congratulate the Philadelphia Eagles team for deciding to rehabilitate Vick by giving him a second chance, observing that “it’s never a level playing field for prisoners when they get out of jail”, that he was happy with the team’s “giving someone a second chance after such a major downfall”, and concluding that “individuals who have paid for their crimes should have an opportunity to contribute to society again.”
There is a sub-text: the question of merit or its lack thereof. At stake are vested interests who would not like their lucrative slots and berths jeopardized because of a better player whose talent and performance would outshine their own non-performance.
The cricket team’s coaching staff is itself tainted by implication in match-fixing, vide the Justice Qayyum report. Who will guard the guards? And, as Shakespeare said, Caesar’s wife should be beyond reproach and suspicion. Is it in this case?
Looking at the bigger picture, this is also an issue of double standards. After all the hallagulla, the bureaucratic-military complex had no shame in absorbing Zardari as head of state and saluting him as supreme commander. Likewise, the Pakistan Embassy in Washington then had no qualms in prominently displaying the picture of Zardari alongside that of the Quaid for all visitors to see as an example of ‘Jumhuriet ka Husn.’
Not giving Amer a chance to redeem himself sends a message of a cruel and unforgiving culture. Cruel to whom? To the small-fry. There has been a cultural pattern of netting small fish while letting big fish go free. By not giving a second chance to this repentant kid, particularly one who has not been convicted of felony murder or armed robbery or rape, is in flagrant violation of the Islamic concept of Tauba.
