Mohammed Ali Jinnah has the uncanny gift of being resurrected in the most unusual places. It’s not quite clear whether the Quaid-e-Azam loved cricket, but he was the ghost in The Viceregal Lodge at Claridges Hotel here when a score of Pakistanis and Indians gathered to celebrate the launch of a book chronicling cricketing encounters between India and Pakistan over six decades.
After the launch of “Shadows across the Playing Field” co-authored by Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor and Shaharyar Khan, former chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, columnist M.J. Akbar subtly insinuated Jinnah into the discussion by saying that only Jinnah and cricket could unite Pakistan.
Khan, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan, was not amused. He reminded the audience that Jinnah’s secular message — “Go to your temples, go to your mosques” — was as relevant as ever in contemporary Pakistan.
Tharoor, not to be left behind, shot back: “Rest assured, at least this part of Jinnah’s message is followed in India.” There were hints of an India-Pakistan rivarly in the assembled gathering, but before long Jinnah and cricket were mercifully followed by Scotch.
