Coverage in the New York Times

At Cricket Matches, Indians and Pakistanis Cheer for Friendship

By SALMAN MASOOD

Published: March 28, 2004

AHORE, Pakistan, March 24 — When Deepak Sapra, 29, and his wife, Ipsita, 25, crossed the Indian border to watch the final one-day cricket match of the series between India and Pakistan, they hardly expected a warm welcome.

Their apprehension was not unwarranted. India and Pakistan have been estranged neighbors, with three wars between them, since the two countries gained independence from Britain more than half a century ago.

But to their surprise, the Sapras found Pakistan and its people hospitable instead of hostile. "People are so warm and friendly here," said Mr. Sapra, a management professional from Hyderabad, India, as he stood outside the cricket stadium here. "It has been an amazing experience."

The Indian tour from March 13 to April 17 — five one-day competitions and three test matches, each consisting of five days of play — — has generated a frenzy in both countries. Almost 600 million people on the subcontinent have been glued to their television screens. Thousands of Indians have traveled to Pakistan to watch the matches, where Indian and Pakistani flags flutter together in cricket stadiums.

The current series is the first between the countries on Pakistani soil in 15 years, and a rare example of good will between them. Bilateral matches were suspended in 2000 during a tense period, and the two nuclear-armed nations nearly went to war in 2002 after an attack on the Indian Parliament for which India blamed Pakistan-backed militants. Pakistan denied the charge.

The sports ties between India and Pakistan were revived in October after Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee of India, in April, offered a "hand of friendship" to Pakistan. This cricket series is being called a "friendship series."

Cricket matches — one of the few British colonial legacies to which people hold fast here — have often ignited nationalist sentiments between India and Pakistan. In the subcontinent, cricket is more than a game. It is a religion. It is politics. It is passion. It is what some have called "war without missiles."

But cricket has also been used to dispel tensions. In 1987, President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq of Pakistan flew to India unannounced to attend a cricket match as India held a huge military exercise code-named Operation Brass Tacks, which many in Pakistan feared was preparation for an attack. The Pakistani leader's gesture later became famous as an example of "cricket diplomacy."

The lack of tension in this series so far seems to reflect the growing hunger for ties and peace among the public in both countries. At the first match, on March 13 in the southern port city of Karachi, banners welcoming the Indian team to Pakistan hung under the ceilings of the stadium. "No tension, only friendship," one banner said. Another showed a handshake with the hands daubed in the countries' national colors.

"The hospitality has been awesome," said Sanjay Yashroy, 35, of Mumbai, formerly Bombay. "We had heard so much about it and are now experiencing it. I think the sporting events can help break the ice."

In Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan and the place of the final and decisive match of the one-day competitions, a crowd of 25,000 roared with good will for eight hours.

"People don't have any problems — it's the politicians who create tensions," said Isha Khan, 24, a spectator from Lahore, as she cheered for the home team. "Earlier, the games used to become a matter of life and death," she said. "Now they have more normalcy."

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