Govt wary of sending cricket team to Pak

Caught in a dilemma over the issue of sending the cricket team to Pakistan, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has clammed up, with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which leads the coalition, refusing to take a stand on the issue on Saturday.

Party leaders distanced themselves from Minister of State for Home Swami Chinmayand's reported interview to the BBC, in which he has explained that the government is worried about the recent evidence of proliferation of nuclear weapons by Pakistan and does not want to put the lives of its players in danger.

The BJP's silence indicates that the government is trying to repair the embarrassment and diplomatic damage caused by a rash of statements claiming to be the government's informal position on the issue of sending the cricket team to Pakistan.

Three arguments have been forwarded for re-scheduling the matches: first, a defeat can lead to a disruption of the general elections; second, an India-Pakistan match in the middle of the elections will be a distraction for the party cadre; and third, the players are facing threats to their lives.

However, the government's commitment to an improvement in India-Pakistan relations and the agreement between the prime ministers -- Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Zafarullah Khan Jamali -- on the resumption of sporting ties, has been belied by the controversy and reveals that whatever the intention of the leaders, the party's commitment to the normalisation of ties continues to be just skin deep.

The government is also exploring the possibility of calling off the One-Day games and just having a Test series as a compromise that will be acceptable to the party and Pakistani cricket fans.