As the world turns its eyes towards India once again for one of the most-watched sporting spectacle on Earth, the Cricket World Cup, it has been jolted by the reality of a new India. A controversy has been ignited after Pakistani journalist Zainab Abbas was forced out of India on the flimsiest of pretexts by some people who seem to have an axe to grind for reasons other than her work.
Zainab was in India, working as a presenter in the ongoing Cricket World Cup for the sport's global body, the International Cricket Council. She has worked all over the world and is now one of the most recognised faces in the cricket presenting scene.
In cricketing circles, Zainab is known for her friendly nature, a strong advocate for peace, friendship, and for building bridges through cultural exchanges via cricket.
I personally know her as a cricket commentator. She's an extremely pleasant person, and her smile lights up the room. I have never sensed any negative energy in her presence, and trust me, I can almost always sense some - a gift or a curse, depending on your perspective. But with Zainab, it has never tingled. She is the most light-hearted, hard-working young woman devoid of malice.
The contentious tweets at the heart of the matter, which were dug up and formed the basis of the vicious vitriol against her, were from years ago when Zainab was perhaps in her early twenties
During successive seasons of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), she's been known to impress foreign commentators with her pleasant demeanour, for showing utmost respect to their cultures and, of course, her command of cricket.
In my opinion, she is the last person to insult anyone's religion or culture; in fact, quite the opposite.
The contentious tweets at the heart of the matter, which were dug up and formed the basis of the vicious vitriol against her, were from years ago when Zainab was perhaps in her early twenties. It was from a time when she had not even entered this profession. Like most of us, she was perhaps not as politically correct then as she is now.
I am certain she made those comments in response to provocations from Indian accounts. The majority of Indian and Pakistani social media users tend to make outlandish and emotional comments, especially around an India-Pakistan game.
People are not fully mature in their early twenties, and we all do things we later regret. It is incorrect to be sanctioned for remarks made when bullies provoked her and insulted her country. Tempers flare and best our most reserved of reactions. It's like burning our mouths when the coffee is too hot, but if we wait a bit, it's always more enjoyable.
It's the same with an argument; if you do not respond immediately, a delayed response is always more measured. But honestly, how many of us can wait when we're bullied and provoked?
Indians, however, tend to comment about the net worth of two Indian players being greater than the GDP of Pakistan. They seek anything that will serve as fuel for their diatribe. Bullying their Pakistani counterparts about getting "atta" or even making obnoxious remarks like 'you beggars', etc is more than commonplace; it is now expected.
I bet today's Zainab regrets making those comments in a heated response to some outlandish stuff from across the border
Such bullying must have incited Zainab's tweet. There has to be a severe provocation to get any of us to tweet in that manner.
To be fair, trolls on this side of the fence are no better. Their comments have often made me say things I wouldn't say unless provoked to the hilt. Anyone can say things they wouldn't be proud of when pinched in the heart.
But here, the result is not that you put down the phone, take a deep breath, look at things from a fresh perspective and move on. Here, there was fear of something irrevocable happening in real life. Here, there was an actual threat that justified abandoning what she loved most and what she had worked so hard for years.
Fast forward ten years, I bet today's Zainab regrets making those comments in a heated response to some outlandish stuff from across the border.
In my opinion, it shouldn't have been so difficult for the Indian authorities to understand this situation and downplay it. Still, sadly, they did no such thing.
The whole mess could have been handled much better. There was no need to force a young, hard-working, popular professional out of their country. This casts a dark shadow on the World Cup, which is already being viewed as a bit of a failure due to the low attendance, terrible outfields, and deplorable conditions at some venues, which have been criticised by Indian legends themselves as well.
Unfortunately, the Board of Control For Cricket India (BCCI) and the Indian authorities have taken an extremely childish viewpoint regarding Pakistan, whether it's refusing our journalists visas or mishandling the Zainab issue. It's a damp squib this World Cup!