Cricket diplomacy

When long diplomatic dialogues don't work, a high-profile invitation does wonders, and this is clearly evident from the sobering gestures shown by Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister of Pakistan, after receiving a special invitation from his Indian counterpart, Dr. Manmohan Singh, for watching the World Cup semifinal match between India and Pakistan, being held at Mohali on Wednesday. So what exactly prompted Mr. Gilani to remit the jail term of Gopal Das, an Indian imprisoned in Pakistan for last 27 years, which was even unthinkable despite coherent diplomatic dialogues between two countries, for releasing this prisoner? What lies behind Pakistan's motive in this friendly gesture towards India, after two longs years of strained relationships post 26/11? Though India was sure about Pakistan's hand in the Mumbai terror attack, and even with repeated requests from the Home Ministry at different points time, Pakistan was quite adamant to support India in deciphering the terror links, the recent move on releasing a prisoner poses some unanswered questions. Will Pakistan extend its genuine support to resolve the impending bilateral issues? Can Pakistan, in all its boiling political heterogeneity, trust India's true efforts in reducing geo-political tensions haunting the region for decades? This is too early to comment on the larger dimension of political outcomes, but the sporting spirit shown by Mr. Gilani is highly commendable. At least cricket, as a popular sport, has proved to be an active conduit for a bilateral peace process.