Come Thackeray, come

17 Mar, 2004

There are reports in the Indian print media that the Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to extend invitation to Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka and last but not the least the rightwing anti-Pakistan hawk 'Balasaheb' Bal Thackeray to witness cricket matches.
Although Shiv Sena spokesman has ruled out the possibility of Thackeray visiting Pakistan to see India play on the Pakistani soil as Thackeray has been opposing India-Pakistan cricket matches for over a decade now.
But we Pakistanis assure the Shiv Sena and its leader Bal Thackeray that if he decides to come to Pakistan, he will be received with open arms by the people of Pakistan.
We Pakistani are famous the world over for our generosity and hospitality. Although you have always expressed hate towards the Muslims of India and Pakistan but we Pakistanis strongly believe in forgive-and-forget if it is for the sake of peace and friendship.
You are such a famous personality of Maharashtra state that your television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai awarded the title of "Bal Thackeray" to our leader of Jamat i Islami Qazi Hussain Ahmed while expressing his views in a television talk show in Islamabad last month in the presence of Qazi Saheb.
Indian film stars Pooja Bhat, Urmila Matondkar, Deputy Speaker of Indian Parliament Najma Hepatullah and film Director Mahesh Bhatt have gone on record of admitting that they felt at home during their stay in Pakistan recently.
Similar feelings were expressed by the Indian author and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy when she visited Pakistan last year.
They have returned to India with tears of joy and happiness in their eyes for the love we showered on them. If Bal Thackeray visits Pakistan to witness the match, it will help both the countries to ease the tension created between Hindus and Muslims by vested interests of both the nations.
As far as the question of security is concerned, if we can provide security to the entire Indian crickets team, and to Priyanka and Rahul, why not security for Bal Thackeray as well. So, come Balasaheb Thackeray, come.

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