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Gen Pervez Musharraf makes an impression
Pakistan President Musharraf shook hands with the Indian cricket team hoping that cricket will help "lower tension" between India and Pakistan, writes Avirook Sen.
Some say he'd pushed the peace process at least an arm's length further away with his unscheduled handshake at the Kathmandu Saarc summit (2002). But on Wednesday, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf shook hands with the Indian cricket team at a reception he'd hosted in President's House, Islamabad, hoping that cricket will help "lower tension" between India and Pakistan.
The reception, unlike the repeatedly aired extension of 'a hand of friendship' to Indian Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, was very much part of the programme. And those who shook hands with Musharraf said he had the "firm grip of a positive man".
Musharraf's grandstanding in Kathmandu didn't win him many friends in India. But he appears to have made a very good impression on the Indian cricket team.
During their interaction with the President, they found him "warm and very well-informed about the game".
He congratulated Sachin Tendulkar on his hundred in Pindi — and on his getting 13,000 runs in ODIs. He praised Balaji for his valiant effort at the death. He spoke of how Kaif's wonderful catch won India the game in Karachi. He even complimented Sourav Ganguly on India's performance in the Test series in Australia.
In doing all this, he never got a statistic or a score wrong (he remembered the "seemingly impossible targets of 349 and 329", among several other stats), according to sources who were present.
It isn't known whether the President had read a spot of Dale Carnegie ("be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise") before the meeting, but he said all the right things. This is something that those dealing with the general in foreign policy matters haven't really come to expect.
On some of the addresses to the nation (also beamed to India), Musharraf has been seen baring his fangs. On Wednesday (and during the match at Pindi) he showed his teeth — smiling — saying "cricket will bring people together."
Where there's a (good)will, there's a way.
