Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik set to bridge India-Pakistan divide with marriage
Pakistani cricket star Shoaib Malik and India's top female tennis player Sania Mirza plan to wed in a unique union bridging the two nations' bitter sporting and political divide.

"My wedding is going to be the biggest day of my life," Mirza said in a statement late Monday from her home town of Hyderabad, where she is recovering from a wrist injury that has seen her ranking slip from 27 in 2007 to 92.
The sporting marriage, seemingly unprecedented in the perennial rivalry between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals, comes two months after Mirza broke off her engagement to a childhood friend.
Mirza and Malik, 28, who are both Muslim, will marry in April and live in Dubai, members of the two families told local media.
Malik, a former national captain who is currently serving a year-long ban by the Pakistan Cricket Board due to indiscipline, confirmed the imminent nuptials.
"The news of me marrying Sania is true," the all-rounder was quoted as saying. "Inshallah (God willing) we will get married in April.
"I fully understand what it takes to be an international sportsperson and I will support Sania in her career as long as she wishes to play."
He said he would be "the proudest husband" if Mirza won a medal at the 2012 Olympics, while the tennis player said she was targeting a return to fitness for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games late this year.
Mirza broke off her engagement to childhood friend Sohrab Mirza in January, saying "we were friends for years but found ourselves incompatible as fiances".
The tennis player became an instant nationwide celebrity as an 18-year-old when she became the first female Indian to win a WTA Tour title in 2005.
Malik, who hails from Sialkot in Pakistan's Punjab province, has played 29 Tests, 190 one-day internationals and 30 Twenty20 matches since his debut in 2001.
In a bizarre twist in 2002, he was accused by the family of another Hyderabad girl, Ayesha Siddiqui, of marrying her over the telephone. The cricketer denied it, but did admit to being engaged.

Ayesha's father threatened to sue Malik for leaving the girl without awarding her a divorce.

Coming Up Next...................

It's wretched enough that our "friend" Ahmed Chalabi has become Iran's point man in Iraq. Now "our man in Kabul," President Hamid Karzai, is quietly shifting his loyalty to Tehran.
Beyond Iranian President Mahmud Ahmedinejad's recent chummy visit to Karzai -- reported by the media but downplayed by Washington -- Iran's been training Taliban forces to kill our troops more efficiently.
Karzai's people despise him; his allies distrust him; his enemies mock him. And our troops keep him in power. Does that sound like a formula for success?
Pakistan's in on Afghanistan's new deal, too, along with Islamabad's favored Mujaheddin terrorist faction, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-i-Islami (as I predicted in The Post last month). Our government's even welcoming Karzai's negotiations.
Scamming Americans is one thing, playing Iranians or Pakistanis another. We send sniffy diplomatic notes. They send assassins.
Also noted in previous columns, Pakistan's making a grand show of helping us by busting senior Taliban and al Qaeda officials (which they could have done years ago). Islamabad's not doing it out of solidarity with Uncle Sam, but because it needs to weaken Taliban elements and leaders it can't control in order to close the hoped-for Afghan deal.
Coming perhaps as early as this year (certainly within the next few years), the Karzai Compromise will at first look like this:
* Karzai remains the titular head of the Kabul regime.
* Iran "owns" western Afghanistan.
* Pakistan replaces the United States as the Kabul government's security guarantor.
* NATO grabs the excuse of "national reconciliation" to dash for home.
* The United States won't be far behind NATO, although we'll continue to pour in aid to "avoid destabilizing the situation."
This being the Greater Middle East, the deal won't last. Karzai holds too weak a hand; national ambitions are in conflict; the hatreds go too deep. Here's what will come next:
* The Iranians and Pakistanis will struggle for influence. The next phase of the endless Afghan civil war will be a proxy fight between Tehran and Islamabad (alongside the internal factional warfare).
* Al Qaeda will align with Pakistan, gaining clandestine sponsorship.
* Karzai will be replaced by a tougher ruler backed by Pakistan, while the Iranian side elevates its own contender for power based in Herat.
* India will side with Iran. China will support Pakistan.
* Pakistan will find itself unable to control its Afghan proxies, after all. Another military regime will take power in Islamabad, as Pakistan finds itself bogged down in an Afghan morass and violence spreads at home.
* The Taliban will fight everybody and outlast everybody.
As our troops surge slowly into Afghanistan to save the inept Karzai government, they may already be irrelevant. We're no longer in on the deal. Everybody knows it but us.
Ralph Peters' new book is "Endless War: Middle Eastern Islam vs. Western Civilization."

Filmhistory: Armaan of a nation

Armaan was released on Friday, March 18, 1966, at a time when the country was echoing with protests against the Tashkent Agreement signed by President Ayub Khan and the Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. It was said that a war ‘won’ on the front had been ‘lost’ on the table. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the dissident foreign minister who was generally identified with a hard line stance against India, had just received an overwhelming ovation at the Lahore Railway Station from a multitude of his admirers. Then, as the film opened in Naz Cinema, Karachi, and across West and East Pakistan, it captured the imagination of the entire society. Did the masses recognise, unconsciously, their deepest ideals in the fantasy about an educated and principle-centered aristocrat stepping down from his ranks for courting an orphaned girl of humble background and himself getting transformed in the process? At least that was the gist of the hero’s journey from the festive Ko Ko Korina to the mature Jab pyar mein do dil miltay hain; and from the light-hearted rendition of Akele na jana by Ahmad Rushdi to the symphonic and cataclysmic orchestra accompanying the voice of Mala, at the end. In retrospect, one may say that this was not very unlike the expectations that people were beginning to develop from Bhutto around the same time — regardless of whether or not the politician lived up to the ideals given by poets. The film was the first Pakistani release to become a “Platinum Jubilee” (running for 75 cumulative weeks). The middle class, usually reluctant to go to the cinema, got attracted in large numbers (in some ways this shift had already started with Saheli four years earlier and Naela the last year but it reached its climax with Armaan). The hairstyle of the writer, producer and actor Waheed Murad became the default for that generation. Conservatives and liberals, rich and poor, educated and the illiterate, were equally mesmerised. The legends spawned by Armaan spread wide and were going to prove lasting. Fellow film-maker Nazrul Islam, in his greatest film Aaina (1977) eleven year later, named the heroine Najma (played by Shabnam) after the role played by Zeba in Armaan. In a subsequent film, Nahin abhi Nahin (1980), Nazrul not only named the main character Armaan, but even persuaded the lead actor Faisal Rehman to use this as a real name (recently, Faisal has directed a television sequel to Nahin abhi Nahin where the protagonist Armaan, now grown up and teaching in a college, confronts the spirit of Allama Iqbal and seeks answers to questions about the existence and destiny of Pakistan). If Armaan is one of the pegs around which threads of our collective consciousness are tied then it very well deserves that prestige. It was an offering from well-educated and imaginative youth who respected their culture and wanted to bring a healthy change through the unity of imagination. Waheed had an M.A. degree in English from Karachi University and his obsessions included James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and Henry James (one of his dreams was to make a stream of consciousness films and he arguably achieved it three year later in one of his productions). In developing the story of Armaan, he drew upon Cinderella, She Stoops to Conquer, The Taming of the Shrew, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but he used his sources ingenuously for creating a brevity that effectively conveyed the messages ingrained in the greatest cultural movements of recent history (attachment to Iqbal ran in Waheed’s family, since his grandfather Manzur Ilahi Murad was an acquaintance of the poet-philosopher in Sialkot). Director Pervez Malik, who also wrote the screenplay, had a master’s degree in film-making from California. Camera work, imagery and symbolism were on a par with some of the best masterpieces of that time: one could identify allusions to La Dolce Vita and Hiroshima Mon Amour. Later, Pervez was going to win a Pride of Performance Award for his patriotic films, including a trilogy about the awakening of the masses through the power of love: Anmol (1972), Dushman (1974) and Pehchan (1975). The second of these is also significant because a year before India discovered “the angry young man” in Deewar (1975), Pervez Malik had created the icon here and articulated its social context with much more clarity and boldness than elsewhere. Masroor Anwar, who wrote the dialogues and lyrics, had received a fresh impetus from his work in the 1965 war. A fascinating aspect of the lyrics of Armaan is that each song from this film, although so moving as an expression of ordinary love, can also be interpreted as a national song. Consider, for instance, Akele na jana. The Ahmad Rushdi version is probably what every Pakistani may like to say to Pakistan: “Diya hosla jis nay jeenay ka hum ko….” (you are a beautiful feeling that gave us the courage to live; you are the certainty that never leaves the heart; you the hope that lasts). It should surprise no one that the same Masroor Anwar later gave such national songs like Sohni dharti and Wattan ki mitti gawah rehna. Sohail Rana, who gave music to Armaan, came from a literary family. His father, Rana Akbarabadi, was a renowned poet and had approved of his son’s passion only on the condition that the talent should be used for perpetuating noble values. Sohail not only composed music for memorable national songs, including Apni jaan nazr karoon, Sohni dharti and Jeevay Pakistan but was also destined to set music to Hum Mustafavi Hain by Jamiluddin Aali, which was adopted as the national anthem of the Islamic Summit Conference in 1974 (it retains that status and is played wherever the summit is held). In the 1970s and the ’80s, Sohail was best known to the youth in Pakistan through his popular television programme in which he taught music and good manners. Armaan, in a way, had started with him. One night in 1963 or 1964 he heard a melody in his dream. He woke up and wrote it down. The words that were given to it eventually were, Akele na jana… The rest is film history, though sadly unwritten for the most part.

Advertisement goes off-track

Indian railways ad shows Delhi in Pakistan

Another media blunder on the part of India was identified when the Indian Railways showed Delhi located in Pakistan in its advertisement published in newspapers on Saturday. The advertisement also showed Kolkata in the Bay of Bengal. However, Eastern Railway, which released the advertisement, blacklisted the advertising agency after the goof.

Earlier, a Union Government advertisement had displayed the photograph of a former Pakistani air chief.

The latest advertisement was meant to announce the launch of a luxury tourist train by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee. A small part of the advertisement showed the train’s route from Kolkata to Delhi.

Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Samir Goswami apologised for the mistake and said the advertising agency had been suspended.

Almost all leading newspapers in India published on Saturday a railways department’s advertisement that shows capital New Delhi located across the border in Pakistan.

According to zeenews.com, the Eastern Railway’s ad appeared to announce the inauguration of Maharaja’s Express, from Kolkata to Nalanda.

The railways authorities, however, absolved themselves of any responsibility, saying it was the fault of the advertising agency.

“It is a great mistake. We apologise for this. The advertising agency has been suspended,” Eastern Railway’s chief public relations officer Samir Goswami said.

The railways authorities had provided the Kolkata-based advertising agency with the route details only, and not the map, officials said.

The owner of the advertising agency said the route alignment had been given for the benefit of passengers. “The map and the alignment are an artist’s impression and not to scale. It is never our intention to create a controversy,” he said.

Newspapers in Lahore published on Friday an advertisement by the Punjab police carrying the insignia of the Indian Punjab police.

Two months ago, Indian newspapers published an ad carrying the picture of PAF’s former chief instead of the Indian air chief.

Is Pakistan ready for democracy?

“The Canadian military planners expect that Pakistan will collapse by 2016, and the territory will be occupied by India. Sound bizarre? Not so to the security analysts in Ottawa.”
Downhill for Pakistan? (Dawn) Tariq Amin-Khan. Tuesday, January 19, 2010
For the record, I want to make clear that I am a staunch supporter and promoter of democracy, but lately, I have started to wonder if Pakistan is ready for democracy after all. I don’t mean to agree with or advance the argument that Islam has no room for democracy. My argument is based on entirely different set of circumstances and it has nothing to do with religion.
We all know that unfortunately, Pakistan has been deteriorating for some time. Unlike what most anchors and jihadi elements in Pakistan would have you believe, the reality is that Pakistan has almost run out of options in terms of second and third and fourth chances. Today’s Pakistan is actually on life support (thanks to Washington) and we have to see how long would the Western world keep replenishing Pakistan’s depleted oxygen tank. And, even if this artificial support continues, it will end one day because everything comes to an end, eventually. So, will Pakistan be ready when the flow of aid will stop? This is the question that frightens a lot of people, including myself.
Even if Pakistan manages to survive despite awful shortage of food items that are vanishing from the country i.e. sugar, flour, and manages to find work for millions and millions of untrained, and uneducated youngsters in the country, and somehow, connects every house hold in to an electric grid and provide non-stop electricity, gas, water and petroleum to every citizen, the prospect of religious zealots taking over the county and destroying the society is very real. Religious gangsters have already declared war on Pakistan and these thugs are carrying out vicious attacks across the country every single day.
The rise of extreme religion is not on the rise because mullah is forcing everyone to embrace their version of religion, but the society is evolving and drifting towards hard core Wahabi school of thought. Everywhere in Pakistan you look, religious symbols have become the norm and it seems that pretty soon, every woman in Pakistan would be either in burqa or wearing a hijab and every man would be supporting long un-kept beard. And, not only is the society gravitating towards hard-core religion, but ‘I know what is right’ attitude has given a new dimension to religious bullying in Pakistan, which has forced moderate and sometime secular individuals and families to conform in order to avoid being a target or draw attention to themselves.
Add to this volatile mix of lack of economic, social and cultural depression and shrinking energy reservoir the intense and unyielding anti American sentiment across Pakistan and it is a recipe for a complete catastrophe. Pakistan, in my opinion has become a ticking time bomb.
So, in order to turn around Pakistan, can we rely on democracy? Can democratic institutions provide relief and answers for the challenges that the country faces today? Or perhaps, we should ask – has democracy been able to provide any assistance to the ordinary Pakistani? Of course not if one examines the evidence.
Therefore, if the country sticks to democratic means, it might take years, perhaps decades to make a simple decision. Take Kala Bagh Dam. It was in the pipeline for decades before The World Bank pulled its support for this vital project. Similarly, there are other examples where a quick decision is needed to save the future, but democracy dictates that you consult, debate, consider all sides and in the end, reject what is plausible and start again while the problem becomes a crisis. And, it is not only energy crisis – it is almost everything in the country that needs urgent and solid decisions without any compromise, but, we don’t see anything positive happening. The current government is struggling to stop attacks for all sides – army, judiciary, opposition, MQM, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, population explosion, and so forth. And, democracy is not providing any answer, let alone solution for Pakistan.
Can it go on like this forever?
Maybe Pakistan’s democratic transition should be gradual. Maybe Pakistanis should be trained and educated in understanding what it means to live in a democratic society. Maybe, it would be helpful if Pakistanis were first prepared to live within the frame work of democratic traditions. The list of prerequisites can go on and on, but I think you get my point. So, given all this, I ask you to think about it.
Is Pakistan really ready for democracy?
“ Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”

IPI pipeline remains a pipedream ?
Iran and Pakistan sign US$7.5bn gas pipeline deal
The ghost of the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline seems to have been finally laid to rest. Tired of waiting for any decision by India, Iran and Pakistan have gone ahead to sign an agreement for laying a natural gas pipeline between the two countries. A window has been left open for India to join the project later but Pakistan has the right to charge transit fee for the gas sent through its territory. It is highly unlikely, however, that India will ultimately join the project which has been talked about for over 15 years.
Iran and Pakistan have signed a “historical” agreement for the construction of a natural gas pipeline, which will transport gas from Iran’s South Fars field to India. The deal was signed between the Inter-State Gas Systems, a semi-autonomous Pakistani company and the National Iranian Oil Company. It’s a milestone toward meeting energy needs of the country.
When completed in 2015, the US$7.5bn project will see the pumping of 750mft3 of gas per day.
However, the option of India joining the pipeline at some stage was kept open by the two countries. Though India is not a part of the deal at present, the agreement keeps the option of transporting gas for India through Pakistani territory if the pipeline eventually does extend to India. Pakistan has retained the right to charge a transit fee for gas transported to India.
The tri-nation gas project has not cleared all hurdles just yet. India has resumed interest but its External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna, said that the country was in talks with Iran as it has concerns relating to pricing and security. India has cold-shouldered the project talks since 2008, blaming Tehran for overlooking its concerns of safe delivery and high prices.
Iran, on the other hand, suggested a trilateral mechanism, insisting that ownership of gas would be transferred at the Iran-Pakistan border, while New Delhi wants it to be the Pakistan-India border, thereby making Iran explicitly responsible for the safe delivery of gas. Indian officials believe the proposal meant that New Delhi would pay for its share of gas, even if the supplies were to be disrupted in Pakistan. In addition, India and Pakistan have been unable to agree on the level of transit fees that the latter would charge the former.
Iran has continued to hope that India will join the project with Iranian officials pointing out that New Delhi is still to make any formal announcement on quitting the pipeline project.

The Death of Sports in Pakistan

The angel of death has not yet kissed the Pakistani sports, but the sports structure is surely on the verge of collapse. It was one shock after another and one humiliating defeat after another that has brought Pakistani sports on the brink of death. Let's start with the most favorite sports of Pakistan: cricket. Pakistanis are mad about cricket and it is the de facto national sport of Pakistan. The national cricket team of Pakistan has been embroiled in a major controversy after suffering one of its worst defeats ever in Australia. Pakistan lost all matches of the one-day series, test-series and the 20/20 play-up.
The reasons behind this shameful defeat were many. The major one being the rift in the team ranks. This rift reached magnanimous proportions and ultimately resulted in the complete failure of the Green Shirts in Australia. There were reports of players' infighting and many issued public statements defaming their adversaries. The controversy reached epic proportions when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) entered the fray and imposed life bans on two of the most senior cricketers in the team: Muhammad Yousuf and Younis Khan; both have captained the Green Shirts during their cricketing career. PCB also imposed heavy fines and one-year bans on other star players, citing gross misconduct and infighting.
The scurry decision of PCB has muddled the future of cricket in Pakistan. There has been a major outcry on these bans with former cricketers blasting the PCB for its hasty decisions. PCB has not budged from its decision and has even decided to deduct match fees of the fined players. The controversy is expected to last longer as some players might opt for litigation against the PCB.
As if the cricket setback was not enough, The Pakistani hockey team has decided to retire en masse after clinching the last position in the Hockey World Cup that was held in India. They lost all of their matches except with Spain, a first in the hockey history of Pakistan. Hockey is the national game of Pakistan and the country has won three world cups -- the last one in 1994.

The sports structure of Pakistan has come tumbling down after these defeats and there is a gloom in the sports circles of Pakistan. Sports are heavily politicized in Pakistan and the usual mudslinging has started after this fiasco. There will be no glimmer of hope for the Pakistani sports if things remain the same. The gloom is there but there are greater chances of it turning into a doom if serious steps are not taken immediately.

Security fears force Davis Cup out of Pakistan
WELLINGTON: The International Tennis Federation has moved Pakistan's next Davis Cup match to New Zealand due to security reasons.The Davis Cup committee of the ITF informed both nations Tuesday that the Asia-Oceania Group II semifinal will be played in New Zealand from July 9-11 rather than in Pakistan or at a neutral venue."Due to the existing security concerns that continue to surround the hosting of sporting events in Pakistan.

National Games postponed

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) has announced here today to postpone the 31st National Games, scheduled to be held in Peshawar from March 25 to 31.
The POA announced this at a press conference after the decision was taken at its meeting in Lahore on Tuesday.
The National Games have been postponed due to risky security environment in Peshawar and its surroundings.
The new dates of the National Games will be announced after the Asian Games.

Australia become world champions, beating Germany 2-1

NEW DELHI: Australia won the men's field hockey World Cup after a gap of 24 years with a 2-1 victory over defending champions Germany in the final on Saturday.

Luke Doerner scored the winning penalty corner 11 minutes from the end after Edward Ockenden put the Kookaburras ahead in the sixth minute and Moritz Furste drew level for Germany in the 48th.Doerner's eighth goal in the tournament made him the joint leading scorer with another penalty corner specialist Taeke Taekema of the Netherlands.Australia, whose previous World Cup title came way back in 1986, had lost the last two finals against Germany in 2002 and 2006.The Netherlands clinched the bronze with a 4-3 win over England in the play-off for the 3-4 positions earlier on Saturday.

2010 Hockey World Cup: Perspective, aspirations and challenges

The 12th men's Hockey World Cup starts in New Delhi from February 28th 2010 with South Africa facing Spain in the opener of the two-week extravaganza. Later in the evening, Pakistan face arch-rivals India which may set the mode of the two teams for rest of the tournament. After 1982, this is the second time that India has been trusted by the FIH to hold the coveted event. In spite of a gradual decent in the performance and the serious security concerns, the World Cup in India brings along a good omen for Pakistan who won their third world cup title in Mumbai in 1982.The Hockey World Cup was first conceived by Air Marshal Nur Khan and the trophy was designed by Bashir Moojid which was handed over to FIH president Rene Frank by the Pakistani Ambassador to Belgium in March 1971. The 11,560g trophy consists of a silver cup with an intricate floral design, surmounted by a globe of the world in silver and gold, placed on a high blade base inlaid with ivory. At its peak is a model hockey stick and ball.Pakistan's last appearance on the World Cup victory stand was in 1994 when Pakistan defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to lift the crown. Since the last ten years, Pakistan hockey has witnessed a steady decline in its standards due to various reasons. Conciliation came to game lovers in the country when Pakistan defeated India in the finals of recently concluded SAF games, reviving hopes that we may witness the resurgence of field hockey in Pakistan in the next few years.Pakistan has produced some of the best field hockey players in the world. Dara, Hammidi, Khalid Mehmood, Attif, Shahnaz, Shahbaz, Samiullah, Rasheed Junior, Hanif Khan, Hassan Sardar, Akhtar Rasul, Tahir Zaman and Islah-ud-Din will always be remembered as the greats of hockey. However the introduction of Astroturf, brought structural changes in the rules, approach, strategy and philosophy of the game with more focus to skilled execution of fundamental techniques fuelled by intelligence and physical prowess that includes muscular strength, good balance, aerobic endurance, flexibility, exceptional hand-eye coordination and ballistic movement.In the 2010 World Cup, Pakistan is in group B along with India, South Africa, England, Spain and 2006 World Cup runners-up Australia. As per FIH ranking Pakistan is at number seven in the world with 1498 points where as England with 1535 points is at number six, Spain with 1790 points is at number three and Australia is seeded at number two with 1993 points in the world. India and South Africa the other two teams of the group, are not amongst the top ten FIH ranking teams of the world.Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan is fancying his chances against India, South Africa, Spain and England in the order of priority to make it to the semifinals. Shahid admits that his boys are slow starters and the match schedule doesn't allow any complacency. Unfortunately a lot of pre-tournament calculations are going on "ifs" and "buts" of beating the opponents which is not a sign of a well prepared and confident side.In spite of the change in playing surface Pakistan's hockey philosophy is still embedded in "grass" where wingers play a vital role in scheming the attacks. The introduction of artificial surface and change of rules has added new dimensions to the game of hockey which is no more an eleven-man game.The outcome of matches now largely depends on how ball possession is maintained during the seventy minutes, the cohesiveness of defence to defy counter-attacks, penetration of forwards from the shortest routes, blocking of dangerous players and spaces, ball-tackling, correct and timely distribution of the ball, explosiveness of the forwards, execution of the finish, availing opportunities on deflections, minimum mistakes by the deep defence and the correct use of bench strength by the coach.I personally think that our chances against Spain and England in pool matches will largely depend on how well and intelligently Shahid uses his reserve players according to the conceived and rehearsed strategies as per the law of diminishing minutes in modern-day hockey.Pakistan enjoys a huge advantage in the field of penalty corner. Sohail is the undisputed master of the craft. Pakistan's forward line has the services of some of the best players like Rehan Butt, Zeeshan Ashraf and Shakeel Abbasi who will be tightly marked by the opponents.With a weak deep defence, the singular strategy of creating chances for penalty-corners by the forwards is likely to backfire. Pakistan's forward line up must focus on exploiting all possible chances to score field goals and also avail penalty-corners in the process. The role of Faiz-ur-Rehman (Physiotherapist) and Nadeem Khan (Video Analyst) would be vital.The Prime Minister has given the necessary support by announcing five hundred million grants to develop hockey in the country. The ten million rupee award for SAF games hockey winners should also serve as a good incentive and base of motivation for the team. It is now up to the players and the support staff to put in their hundred percent, stay focussed and bring good news for the nation from the neighboring country.Hockey fans in Pakistan will be glued to their TV sets for next two weeks to find out who lifts the coveted crown of world champions. Pakistan hockey would have to put up an extraordinary performance to defend their goal post. Defence will hold the key in the final outcome of the tournament. Will Pakistan's defence be able to guard the hardwork of their penetrating forwards and hold on to the white hockey ball for the seventy grueling minutes? Will they be able to rise above the age-old grass hockey philosophy of stick work and wingers attack and be able to create short passes with explosive short inside moves to the opponents goal, ending in smooth finish, would be answered in the 12th Men's World Hockey Cup, that kicks off in style today in style at Dhayan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Hockey's hopes shattered

For Pakistan hockey it was a heaven-sent opportunity. For once, the entire nation had put aside its craze for cricket and was glued to the TV sets across the country to watch the national team lock horns with arch-rivals India.It was the opening match of the World Cup for both the former Asian giants and was played in front of a packed Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi at prime time on Sunday night in front of a global audience.With their relatively higher world ranking and a terrific recent track record against the Indians, Pakistan were seen as the favourites to win the eagerly-awaited encounter and give their World Cup campaign a perfect start.More importantly, a good showing in that match would have come as a much-needed shot in the arm for Pakistan hockey that has been complaining for years that its fan base has shrunk as almost all of the country's sports fans have switched allegiance to cricket.With the Pakistani cricketers flopping regularly in recent times, what hockey needs is to start producing good results at the world stage to win back the fans. A win against India in New Delhi would have been a perfect start for a new chapter for Pakistan hockey.But the Greenshirts just blew it!The team's coaches have blamed their charges' inability to cope with pressure while their critics underlined the fact that the Pakistanis were visibly under-prepared for a major event like the World Cup. Whatever the reasons but one thing is for sure: Pakistani players squandered what for many of them was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hog the limelight.Even the harshest of Pakistan team critics wouldn't have predicted an overwhelming 4-1 triumph for the Indians, whom Pakistan had convincingly beaten in their last three meetings in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Asia Cup in Malaysia and the Champions Challenge in Argentina last year.On paper, Pakistan seemed to be the better team with accomplished players like short corner specialist Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt, Zeeshan Ashraf and Salman Akber in their side. But it were the Indians who sparkled like real stars in the match.While luck deserted Sohail Abbas, who hit the crossbar on a couple of occasions and scored just one goal off five attempts, it smiled on Sandeep Singh -- the comeback drag flicker -- who struck twice to lead India's charge.Pakistan never really recovered after making a dreadfully slow start. In contrast, the Indians dominated the first half and later managed to keep the Pakistanis at bay in the final session. In the end, they earned what was a deserving victory.Pakistan did bounce back by edging out Spain 2-1 in a close battle in their next Group B match only to get thrashed by England 5-2 in their third outing of the 12-nation competition.Pakistan came across as a more organised unit against the Spaniards but went on to cement their reputation of being an inconsistent team by getting hammered at the hands of England, the reigning European champions.With two losses in three games, Pakistan's chances of making the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 1994 seemed pretty bleak. They had two more pool games -- against (South Africa played on Saturday) and finally Australia -- but after surrendering tamely to the English, were left praying for a miracle to keep their World Cup hopes alive.Pakistan's below-par showing isn't entirely unexpected. They are languishing at number seven in the world rankings and have not done well in a major event since making the semifinals of the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Their last major title came in 1994 when they won the World Cup but since then the Greenshirts haven't done better than a fifth position in the quadrennial spectacle in three attempts in 1998, 2002 and 2006.Even before crossing the Wagah Border last month, Pakistani officials had made it clear that the World Cup wasn't their target as they were setting their sights on the Asian Games to be held in China later this year.Such statements reflected the sort of confidence that they had in their players and could have contributed to the poor showing in the matches against India and England. You cannot go to a World Cup saying that your team is not good enough for it and was in fact waiting for a lesser event to show that it's capable of winning a title.Pakistan may have taken a tumble in the world rankings over the years but it's a fact that they are the most successful nation in World Cup history. It's like Brazil going into the Football World Cup with an announcement that the world title wasn't their target as they were instead preparing to win the Copa America!It will be great if Pakistan go on and win back the Asian Games crown later this year but what about the task at hand? The World Cup is the biggest event on the international hockey stage and it was the duty of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to make it its major goal of 2010.Pakistan's unimpressive performance in New Delhi means that in spite of tall claims made by the PHF, our national team continues to be an unreliable outfit. It certainly has the capability to shine like it did against the Spaniards -- the Olympic silver medalists -- but its more prone to coming up with the sort of flops that it produced against India.Pakistan seem doomed to suffer yet another World Cup heartbreak after raising their own hopes by winning a World Cup qualifying event in France and reaching the final in the Asia Cup and Champions Challenge in 2009.They went to the Indian capital amidst high hopes and after receiving hefty rewards from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who gave the team 20 million rupees just days before its departure for New Delhi, hoping that the cash injection will pump the national players ahead of the World Cup. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked.

All Pak team players retire after dismal performance
* Pakistan team announce retirement * Coach, manager and selection committee sacked * (Recasts with Pakistan squad announcing retirement)
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s entire World Cup squad have announced their international retirement after finishing last at the 12-team tournament in India.
Pakistan lost 3-2 to Canada on Thursday which condemned them to 12th place, their worst ever showing at the tournament.Admitting their poor performance in the FIH World Cup, all players of the national hockey team have announced their retirement from the game here on Thursday.
Earlier, the PHF said it had sacked coach Shahid Ali Khan as well as the team manager and selection committee.
“I have sacked the team management and the national selection committee because of our shameful performance in the World Cup,” PHF president Qasim Zia told Reuters.
Hockey is the national game of Pakistan but the national side’s fortunes in recent years have been in decline with the team having to qualify for the World Cup last year.
Captain Zeeshan Ashraf, while talking with Geo News, said that he and his boys apologise with the nation on the team’s dismal performance in the World Cup.He said that never in the history of Pakistan, such disappointing performance was displayed and the whole team is sad on today’s defeat. This is why all the players have decided in a meeting to quit hockey.Zeeshan said that the players did not make this decision under any pressure but they did it only due to their poor performance.
Olympic champions Germany thrashed England 4-1 in the semi-finals of the men's hockey World Cup on Thursday to stay on course for a third successivetitle.Germany, who lost to England in the final of the European championship last year, scored through Marco Montag, Oliver Korn, Martin Haner and Linus Butt. Richard Smith replied for England.Tournament favourites Australia lock horns with Netherlands in the other semi-final later on Thursday.Earlier, Canada beat former champions Pakistan 3-2 in extra time to finish 11th in the 12-team competition.

Hockey-Germany to meet Australia in World Cup final

Holders Germany will meet Australia in the men’s hockey World Cup final on Saturday for the third successive tournament.
Olympic champions Germany thrashed England 4-1 in the first semi-final on Thursday to stay on course for a third straight title. World number two Australia, beaten in 2002 and 2006 by Germany, then edged out Netherlands 2-1 in a closely fought contest.

China Confidential: Obama Intervenes in France, Seeking to Undermine Secular System's Struggle Against Islamist Menace

Is Barack Obama the leader of the free world or the Muslim world?

Neither a day nor an occasion can pass, it seems, without the President of the United States seizing an opportunity to either defend organized Islam, which has been taken over and become synonymous with right-wing political Islam, also known as Islamism, or condemn Israel.

"President Barack Obama says he's not responsible for how other countries defend religious freedoms but added the United States would never tell people what they can wear to express their faith."

Muslims may come to their senses, yet!

It took eight years to address a wrong?

A prominent Muslim theologian has slapped Islam’s terrorists with a 600-page “fatwa”, or legal pronouncement, urging imams to denounce “unbelievers” — without any “ifs or buts.”

Pakistani-born Sheikh Tahir ul-Qadri launched the decree in London last week, condemning terrorism in all its deadly guises in, arguably, what is the most extensive theistic reproach of Islamist terrorism to date.

A little too late? Better late than never?

The UK daily The Independent reports that the scholar told fellow Muslims: “Terrorism is terrorism, violence is violence and it has no place in Islamic teaching and no justification can be provided for it, or any kind of excuses of ifs and buts. The world needs an absolute, unconditional, unqualified and total condemnation of terrorism.”

Astonishingly, it took 600 pages of reflection for a renowned philosopher to arrive at a conclusion which a child could have deduced in seconds and which apparently Muslims were, heretofore, ignorant of despite their devout daily diet of piety.

Fatwas against Islam’s idiots would have been more credible had spiritual leaders dispatched them on September 12, 2001. Today, better than bombastic words from formerly-oblivious imams would be a universal summons by the faithful to reclaim the world’s fastest growing religion from the poisonous tentacles of its sociopaths.

A good start would be for Muslims to mobilize a global convention on radical Islam, followed by a public apology and a pledge of allegiance to the Free World — including to Israel — and notarized by a commitment to excise human ticking time bombs, and the rogue regimes which sponsor them.

Pakistan need big win over South Africa in World Cup
With their hopes of a semi-final place receding fast, Pakistan need to force a big win as they take on the weakest Pool B side South Africa in the Hockey World Cup at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday.
Hosts India also suffered their second successive defeat to Spain on Thursday night raising the prospect of semifinals being played without the two countries which were once the powerhouses of world hockey.
"It is a sad reflection on the state of affairs prevailing in hockey in the sub-continent," former Pakistan captain and Olympian Hanif Khan said.
The fact that both Pakistan and India might not be in the semi-finals shows how low our standards have sunk and not just because other teams have improved but because our administrators have taken no proper and far sighted decisions to keep the sport alive in these countries.
Like their sub-continental cousins India, Pakistan first have to win both their remaining games to keep alive their chances, which would also depend on the results of other games in the pool.

Having conceded 22 goals without earning a single point in their three games, South Africa have turned out to be the favourite whipping boys in the tournament and provide a good opportunity to Pakistan to find their bearings after the 2-5 defeat against England in an exciting but ill-tempered game Thursday.

England now top the pool with nine points, having won all their matches, followed by while Australia and Spain with six each.

Pakistan, like India, are on three points but the hosts occupy the fourth slot on better goal difference.

For Pakistan, the road ahead would be anything but smooth, as what looks like a relatively easy game against the African team would be followed by the match against strong title contenders, Australia, who have been on a song after the shock defeat by England in the opener.

Self-Exiled Indian Artist M F Husain

a Qatar National Now
India’s eminent but controversial bare-footed artist M.F. Husain, who has been under attack from Hindu fundamentalists for his paintings of Hindu goddesses and has been living in Dubai and London, has becomce a Qatar national, thanks to the Qatari ruling family.
“I, the Indian origin painter M.F. Husain at 95, have been honored by Qatar nationality,” the celebrated artist, who is in self-exile, wrote above a line sketch of a horse, the leitmotif of much of his work. The black and white drawing was carried by widely circulated The Hindu newspaper, reported IANS.

India Go Down 2-5 Against Spain
It was a do-or-die clash against world No. 3 Spain. India played Asian style of attacking hockey with European style of defence, which was leaky.
Spain, on the other hand, capitalised on India’s mistakes and rode on goals. As a result, Team India lost 2-5 to succumb to their second successive defeat in the Hockey World Cup.
The collateral damage now is that India’s hopes to reach the semifinal have diminished. They have three points from three games, the same as arch-rivals Pakistan. Both hockey-playing neighbors are out of the loop now, it seems.
Pakistan Virtually Out of Hockey World Cup
Pakistan faced England in crucial hockey World Cup game in Delhi but has been defeated. Pakistan is therefore virtually out of Hockey World Cup 2010 now.
Pakistan was back in contention for a semi-final slot after their hard-fought win against Spain in the hockey World Cup until the European champions England in a group ‘B’ encounter on Thursday defeated Pakistan.
India Crush Pakistan 4-1 in Hockey World Cup
India vs Pakistan Field Hockey World Cup: India outplayed Pakistan 4-1 in the men’s field Hockey World Cup on its dramatic opening day Sunday.
The match was also of huge significance for India and Pakistan on diplomatic front as both the countries are meeting in the sporting arena in India for the first time after 26/11 Mumbai carnage.
India and Pakistan are the traditional arch rivals in the Hockey World Cup.

Hawking hockey
Sunday night’s thrill-a-minute contest contained everything you’d expect from an India-Pakistan hockey match: loads of skill, plenty of pace, four Indian goals, two Sohail Abbas bullets that pounded off the crossbar with enough power to make stomachs churn and a wall of sound that shook the refurbished National Stadium’s foundations. Great win, stunning atmosphere.
Now watch the tape again if you get a chance: look past the hysteria, ignore the obvious excitement that comes with an adrenaline-pumping win such as this, and see if you spot something seldom seen in India-Pakistan contests. Notice the empty seats? Not just the few you see sprinkled around the stadium because someone’s inexplicably gone out for a cup of tea, but larger chunks of them, painted green and white, and looking decidedly unwarmed.
For over two decades now, there’s been a running debate in and around the hockey circles: not just on what’s required to halt Indian hockey’s rapid decline, but also what’s needed to get hockey back into the nation’s sporting consciousness on a more permanent basis, not just when Olympic years come around.
In India and Pakistan, it’s increasingly obvious that there’s a young generation brought up on European football, that passionately supports Manchester United or Liverpool; a generation that does look beyond cricket. They, and the die-hard, nostalgic hockey supporters, should ensure that the stands are reasonably full through the coming days but too much has been left riding on how far the hockey teams progresses in the subcontinent. It needn’t have been that way.