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You've got to be kidding!

Roshan Paul

Reports from Karachi are that Nasimul Ghani, the ICC manager for Asia, will be visiting Afghanistan to assess the possibility of developing cricket there.

This is apparently in response to an invitation from the Taliban, who govern most but certainly not all of Afghanistan. "They have shown interest in cricket. I will first assess the situation, ground facilities and will then decide in what way we can help them," says Ghani. Interestingly, Ghani went on to say, "We are now planning to help some of the Islamic countries, particularly Afghanistan and Iran, for promotion of cricket."

The use of the word we is intriguing because surely the ICC would not single out Islamic nations for special treatment. Ghani also serves on the Pakistan Cricket Board as an advisory member. Thus, the question it raises is this: on whose behest is he acting? Pakistan's? Or the ICC's?

Regardless, I find it incredible that the ICC has lent its name to a visit to Afghanistan. The Central Asian country should be treated as the pariahs of the international community - as indeed they are in the west. If South Africa could be banned due to apartheid in the prime of its cricketing power, why is anyone even considering Afghanistan, where the situation is not much better than apartheid.

At least South Africa had a recognized government at the time. Afghanistan doesn't. In fact, the UN still acknowledges the previous government as the official governors of the nation. Even the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) hasn't recognized the legitimacy of its rule. The country is in a brutal civil war with the Taliban on one side and forces of the government it deposed on September 26th, 1997 on the other.

What do most people know of the Taliban? It is a bunch of Islamic clerics that aims to take Afghanistan back to the 16th century in terms of development and facilities. It discriminates against women. They are not allowed to work, few attend school and they must all wear the all-encompassing burkha all the time. If not, they are liable to be beaten and killed on the streets.

At one point, they decreed that women were not allowed to be doctors and men could not examine female patients. Thus, we had a situation in which no women could seek medical assistance! Ludicrous!

Fortunately, due to intense diplomatic pressure from the UN, some of these horrors have lessened a little bit.

What hasn't changed though is that the Taliban still have an organization with the pretentious name of "Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Suppression of Vice." This group patrols the streets to ensure that the bans on everything from perfumes to televisions are enforced.

The country is among the poorest of the world; it leads the world in narcotics (opium) cultivation; it has repeatedly raided the offices of NGOs that are there simply to help; it has no central government; it proudly claims to be a safe haven for Islamic terrorists…I could go on and on.

As if their recent display of fundamentalism - in which they summarily shaved the heads of a visiting Pakistan football team because its players played in shorts - is not enough, here is one more particularly joyous facet of their rule.

Every Friday, thousands of people are herded into Kabul's football stadium. Not to watch sport, though. They are forced to witness executions, amputations and even bulldozing. Suspected criminals are denied legal representation and are punished either by amputating an offending limb or by summary executions. Some are even crushed under bulldozers. And thousands are forced to watch. It is supposed to serve as a warning.

This is the nation to which the ICC is sending a delegate. Globalizing cricket is a fine thing. But why not concentrate more on Latin America or the Orient? For heaven's sake, why Afghanistan?

It's disgraceful.