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Saturday, August 16, 2025
YourTurnSubscriberWrites: Nationalism and Cricket

SubscriberWrites: Nationalism and Cricket

Nationalism and cricket fervour runs deep in India, but unsung heroes like Kulbhushan Jadhav should be praised more.

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All Indian citizens, as well as those of our neighboring Pakistan, are born with nationalist or nationalistic tendencies. Both country residents will not waste any time supporting the national team when they compete for us, much like the current Cricket World Cup. We applaud the cricketers who represent our various nations for their professionalism. The clamor of the Ahmedabad audience was evidence of that.

However, there are other professionals like Rtd. Commander Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav.  It is alleged by the Pakistani government that he was arrested in the Pakistani province of Balochistan on charges of terrorism and spying for India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing. On 10 April 2017, Indian foreign ministry alleged he had been “kidnapped last year from Iran and his subsequent presence in Pakistan has never been explained credibly.

In the context of nationalism and cricket, it is essential to consider how the sport can sometimes reflect deeper societal issues. For instance, the recent events surrounding the India-Pakistan cricket matches have sparked discussions about nationalism and its implications in sports.

Similar, is a case of  Lt. Col. (Rtd) Habib Zahir’s. It is alleged by Pakisthan foreign office that Col. Habib is in Indian custody and speculations about a swap with Commander Jadhav, the Spokesperson stated that Lt. Col. (Rtd) Habib Zahir is a retired Pakistani officer who went missing in Nepal, where he had gone for a job interview in April 2017.

The winner of the cricket world cup won’t be declared for a few weeks. The truly quiet HEROs, however, are people like Rtd. Commander Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav, whose families’ bravery deserves the highest praise. People like him are something of which we Indians should be proud. Despite being the biggest pros, they do not receive the same pay or public support that our cricketers do.

Link to story: https://mofa.gov.pk/the-case-of-missing-lt-col-rtd-habib-zahir/

These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint.

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