When Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi took centre court in the men’s doubles final in the US Open Tennis on Eid, a billion hearts from India and Pakistan were dancing in unison. This was a special occasion, when sportspersons from two countries, who have been virtually at war for the past 60 years and continue to escalate tension between themselves, united themselves on the tennis court and rose like a phoenix from the ashes to reach the title round.
They made a statement to the entire world that peace and friendship between these traditional foes of South Asia was still not a far cry. If sports can break the barrier of mutual mistrust and hatred so effortlessly, so can diplomacy and dialogue. The important thing is the will to do it however. The effort was all the more commendable for Aisam, because Pakistan has been torn apart from within, by rogue elements within their army, their cricketers and nature’s fury. After the match, which was symbolically held in the US, Aisam said that people of America should not view Pakistan as a terrorist nation. He also stressed upon the harassment that Pakistanis are subjected to at US airports in the name of security checks.
This speech of his was not only reminiscent of the pain that these people have faced over the years just because of a few rogue elements, but also showed how sport can bring nations together and dispel all hatred. Recognizing the valiant effort of these two young bravehearts in promoting peace and harmony between India and Pakistan through sport, the government of Karnataka has announced a felicitation ceremony for the duo.
They truly deserve it. They have carved a niche for themselves in the world of tennis. From now on, all teams would treat Bopanna-Qureshi pair with a lot of respect on the court for their skills as players, just like they did for the Paes-Bhupathi pair. They would also elicit smiles and blessings from people of both sides of the Indo-Pak border for showing the way to a beleaguered set of politicians and generals, who just cannot find a way to peace and bonhomie between these two culturally and aesthetically similar nations.
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