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Stop Pakistani players from participating in HIL: KPS Gill

Author: TNN
Publication: The Times of India
Date: January 15, 2013
URL: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-15/top-stories/36353756_1_pakistani-players-hockey-india-league-pak-players

Former Punjab Police DG, KPS Gill, who's also the patron and chief advisor of the Indian Hockey Federation, slammed Hockey India on Monday for allowing the participation of Pakistani players in the Hockey India League (HIL) in the wake of the killing of Indian soldiers and the mutilation of their bodies by Pakistani armed forces.

"Hockey India, which is organising the league and has invited Pak players, has not reacted to this barbaric and heinous act against Indian soldiers and has gone ahead by welcoming Pakistan players to play in the proposed league.

 Hockey India should immediately restrict Pakistan players from playing in the league in protest against the brutalities committed by Pak terrorists," Gill said in a press release.

 "Narindra Batra, the chairman of HIL, Arun Jaitley, a director on the board of HIL and close associate of Batra in the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), and Rajiv Shukla, another director of HIL, are unmoved by the mutilation of the dead bodies of Indian soldiers by Pak terrorists at the LOC.

 HIL should have barred their participation immediately," Gill said. Gill also expressed his surprise at HIL allowing Pakistan players' participation, when the Rajeev Shukla-governed IPL barred the Pakistan cricketers following the Mumbai terror attacks.

 "It is surprising that Arun Jaitley, who is very vocal in asking for the recall of our High Commissioner from Islamabad, is silent and indecisive on the issue of Pak players in the hockey league," he said.

 "Rajiv Shukla is the chairman of IPL's governing body which doesn't allow players from Pakistan to play in the IPL.

 There cannot be two sets of rules for two leagues, especially when the same people are on the governing bodies of the two leagues," he said.

Times View

  History is replete with instances of geo-politics intervening in sport so it would be naive to suggest that this should not happen. Indeed, most would agree that in the case of the anti-apartheid boycott such mixing of politics and sports had a positive impact. Yet, the benching of Pakistani players in the hockey league must be seen as unfortunate. It is important for not just the Indian state but Indians in general to draw a distinction between the Pakistani state and its people. We have been arguing that we need to build people-to-people contacts in order to build pressure on the Pakistani state from within to mend its ways. When such civil society contacts are snapped, it only benefits the hardline elements across the border and that clearly is not in our interest.
 
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