Imran ridiculed for comparing terror attacks to cricket

Pakistani leaders have ridiculed former cricket captain Imran Khan for comparing the terror attacks in the United States to a game of cricket.

The Times of London quoted Imran as saying in Islamabad: "When I was playing cricket, if I was hit by a fast ball I never rubbed the area and let a fast bowler know I had been hurt, but America has shown its vulnerability."

The former Pakistani cricketer said the U.S. had shown its vulnerability through media reports of what it had suffered.

Suspected Islamic terrorists attacked New York and Washington September 11 by crashing hijacked U.S. aircraft into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon respectively. Saudi exile Osama bin Laden is a prime suspect in the attacks.

"The existence of the mass media actually goes against America's security because people watch the pictures on television of the buildings being hit by aircraft, and they see the U.S. stock market collapsing," Khan said. "I am almost for censorship on this occasion."

He said, "I think the Americans don't understand that this is a complicated new ball game."

Leaders of several Pakistani parties in Britain rounded on Imran for his comments. "For years Imran Khan has been comparing everything with cricket but we did not think he would do it this time," a senior leader of the Pakistan People's Party who is close to party chief Benazir Bhutto told IANS.

"The leader of a party hoping to play a national role should not be suggesting that America has been hit by a cricket ball," he said.

A coordinator in London for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League said it was "foolish" to suggest that the American media should not cover an event like this. "The poor performance of Imran Khan's party shows that the people of Pakistan vote wisely," he added.

The cricket angle overshadowed Imran's other remarks. He said: "We must try to get the U.S. to provide evidence of bin Laden's involvement, otherwise bin Laden will become a martyr and terrorism will only increase."

Speaking from Islamabad, he said: "There is anxiety and tension in Pakistan but everything is okay at the moment. What happens in future depends on the type of campaign they launch.

"The longer and bloodier it is the worse the reaction will be and things will get very difficult for President Musharraf, especially if there are innocent casualties."

In a warning to the U.S., Imran said: "People everywhere have seen that a few determined people who were not scared to die can create a huge upheaval within a major superpower."

Indo-Asian News Service

Mail Cricket Editor