Our 6 day tour of Pakistan has ended. After much anticipation and media hype as well as much apprehension from all quarters we could not have asked for a better cricket tour. The only problem being our cricket results didn’t match our expectations but in the end there is no shame in losing to the Pakistan u19s who are by far the best youth team in the world! Their world cup results are evidence of that.
Before we began this tour no one really encouraged us to go, in fact people went out of their way to discourage us citing security concerns and the nature of the charity. The FCO told us Afghans are not liked in Pakistan, a rather ludicrous claim given Afghans live and prosper well in all corners of Pakistan. Flourishing Afghan businessman and their families are firmly established in the plushest neighbourhoods of Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and even Quetta.
The charity we represent, The Afghan Appeal fund, is a British charity raising awareness and funds for education in Afghanistan. Our patron, General Sir David Richards and his wife Lady Caroline Richards gave us the only backing we really needed. Once we had that support, we ignored all other sensationalist and exaggerated security fears.
**We have not felt this safe and welcomed anywhere else in the world. Sure there are unsafe parts of Pakistan, given the war in Afghanistan, however there are plenty of cities where international cricket can be staged such as Karachi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi.
**The boys have loved being in Lahore, in fact their welcome was such that they did not want to return to England just yet. The food, the people and of course even surprisingly the media were incredibly warm and gracious.
After our day night match against the PCB U19s, people were coming up to us and thanking us for coming to Pakistan and showing to the world that it was safe to play and the people great to engage with. No one even mentioned the fact that we were utterly thrashed or been a mismatch for the PCB U19s! They were glowing in their praise.
**The simple fact is that there are unsafe parts in England where no sane person would step out at night with even a mobile phone in pocket in fear of being robbed. There are parts of the USA where the police are hesitant to enter due to fear of street gangs. So why is there so much fuss over Pakistan? It’s an absolute shame.
In our opinion, those in the ICC and MCC who want to send cricket tours to Afghanistan surely need to do their home work better. The Afghan Police and Security forces regularly fire upon their Western counterparts and trainers, whilst in Pakistan the Punjab Elite Squad who were tasked with our protection, became our guardians and good friends. **The picture below is a testament to that relationship.
To their enormous credit, people in Pakistan were keen to ask us about the charity, the Afghan Appeal Fund. It remains the only British military charity in the UK that raises money for Afghans, a tribute to those British servicemen and their families who genuinely care about Afghanistan’s future. In Pakistan people can resonate with this, as Pakistanis have done more for Afghans than any other nation. Even for Afghan cricket it has been Pakistan which has stood by for development of Afghani players and cricket.
**We as the Afghan Appeal Fund XI have had a tremendous experience in Lahore, where cricket was just a medium to show the world that Lahore, and by extension Pakistan, is safe and ready to host international cricket. **The people here are welcoming and its education in Afghanistan, which remains the key to moving forward to an enduring peace along with the requisite Pakistan-Afghanistan understanding. We are proud to be associated with this cause and continue to raise money for education in Afghanistan and also use cricket to bridge gaps in understanding and promote peace.
Kamal Alam and James Wallace
