What does India gain by robbing Shahid Afridi of an employment opportunity?

I wrote this note before Abdul Razzaq was selected for the IPL. This note was published in a Dubai newspaper Khaleej Times. However the newspaper edited major portions of my note. You can see the newspaper version at http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayLetters.asp?valid=5&strpath= (4th article)

I write this note to express disagreement with the joy many of myIndian brethren find in the conspiracy to leave out the Pakistanicricketers from the Indian Premier League. While Lalit Modi and Shilpa Shetty might say this was no deliberate snub we cannot expect peoplein their respective positions to say otherwise.

I can understand a case being made for an Umar Akmal not finding aspot in any IPL team. But who does Modi think he is fooling whensomeone like Shahid Afridi is not even bid on. Was he not even worth his base price? So we can safely assume this exclusion was a politicalmove by the ruling Congress party.

Obviously the Indian government and some of my Indian bretheren believe this maneuver will benefit India in some way. So tell me what does India gain by robbing a Shahid Afridi of an employment opportunity?

There are valid reasons for Indians to be upset with Pakistan. But our grudge should be with the Pakistani political class. Not with thecommon Pakistani. It is India's claim that Pakistani politicians allowanti India elements to thrive. But it is clearly not India's claimthat the 200 million citizens of Pakistan are actively plotting against India.

So Indians can say that the Pakistani politicians represent Pakistan. But we Indians should be the first to recognize the flaw with this argument. Most Indian politicians are not representative of theaspirations of the Indian people. If we cannot correct our own sorrysituation we should then grant the benefit of doubt to the commonPakistani for not being represented accurately by their politicalmasters.

So again what does India gain by robbing Shahid Afridi of an employment opportunity? We Indians have first hand experienced how improved economic conditions in India have diverted the attention of those who have benefited from the economic boom from loitering aroundto more productive activities.

My radical suggestion is that amongst the various tactic India deploysone we should actively pursue is to reduce idle minds in Pakistan.India should strive to increase employment in Pakistan. India should extend tax sops to the Reliance's & Infosys's of the world in lieu ofcreating a 1000 jobs each across Pakistan. To this extent we have reduced a few thousand idle minds.

India and BCCI might have moved miles ahead of Pakistan economically. So on all issues Pakistan, India can behave like a ruler. But rulers are remembered for thinking big.