TV show on India-Pakistan rivalry
http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/04/letted.htm
The AXN channel has announced in New Delhi its plans for a ‘reality show’ to be broadcast across Asia, that will pit teams from India and Pakistan against each other (June 25).
It will have a four-member team from each country, the search for which will begin in August and which will battle both indoors and outdoors in an undisclosed East Asian country. The contest “will test the body, mind, spirit, and most of all, the desire to win” of the participants.
Although the idea is very interesting, it needs to be considered carefully. It is a strange coincidence that this comes at a time when Pakistan and India have embarked on the crucial path of negotiations that will, among others, consider the question of nuclear weapons, troops reduction and, above all, Kashmir.
This must also be viewed in conjunction with the tremendous importance Mr Vajpayee and his party were giving to an Indian victory in the recent cricket series with Pakistan because of its expected positive impact on results of the previous general election. The other factors to be considered are India’s efforts to be acknowledged as a world power and its attempts to expand its influence in the region from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.
Therefore, if this competition manages to somehow prove that Pakistanis are no match for Indians, it will have far-reaching consequences.
Imagine what would happen if our team got trounced every time - with all of Asia watching - or, even if we won the odd contest or so.
It is quite possible that the forthcoming show may genuinely be the brainchild of the AXN. Nevertheless, it is a fact that in high stake international negotiations, negotiators utilize all means at their disposal to make themselves appear as strong as possible and to undermine their adversary’s confidence. So, one must not overlook the possibility that some Indian government strategist may have hit upon this idea and decided to use the cable TV setup as a front.
The secretive manner being adopted to conduct this unique contest, including the statement by a senior company official that “participants… would learn the challenges they face only on the day of the event to retain the element of surprise” creates many doubts and leaves much room for manipulation in any party’s favour. If a Pakistani company were to hold such a cagey event by selecting the Indian team as well, the Indians would surely cry foul. The other significant thing is that it’s Asia-wide and not just subcontinental coverage.
Furthermore, Pakistan would already be handicapped: given the seven times bigger population of India and assuming an equal level of abilities, for the four topmost Pakistanis there would be 28 Indians with similar prowess. Thus, the Indians could form seven teams, keep them at peak performance by continual practice and field the best one in the match. On the contrary, the Pakistani team would lack the benefits of practice and, if one or more member happens to be unable to take part, their performance would go down.
Thus, the stakes for Pakistan are very high. We cannot allow our image to suffer needlessly or let the Indians win a psychological war without getting a level playing field. The whole exercise must be done in a transparent manner under international supervision, particularly in the formulating and assignment of team tasks. The show must also include squads from other countries such as China, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, which would generate far more interest and money and facilitate ranking. Otherwise, Pakistanis should not participate.
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi