Pak plays cricket politics, drops it for dollars from India-born World Bank head
India Today
Pakistan has decided to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India. However, on the other hand, it has rolled out the red carpet for Indian-origin World Bank chief Ajay Banga. Pakistan's mehman nawazi for Banga was not for nothing. We explain the reasons behind it.
If there were a tournament for hypocrisy, Pakistan would have won it hands down. While on one hand, Pakistan has decided to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India, on the other, it has rolled out the red carpet for Indian-origin World Bank chief Ajay Banga. However, the mehman nawazi (hospitality) for Banga was less about his Indian roots and more about him controlling the loan cheque, which Pakistan depends on to manage its frail economy. At the same time, Pakistan has chosen to weaponise cricket for political posturing against India. Its nothing but double standards of the highest level. We will explain how.
Now, the over-the-top reception for Banga, who visited his ancestral home in Pakistan earlier this week, is not for nothing. The cash-strapped nation is heavily dependent on loans and bailout packages from institutions like the World Bank and IMF to manage its economy. Against this backdrop, the extravagant welcome to Banga is being seen as a move to curry favour with the chief of one of its most powerful creditors.
And not to forget - the World Bank also acts as a facilitator and is a signatory to the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which India, an upstream country, suspended after the Pahalgam terror attack last year. Around 80% of Pakistan's agriculture depends on the Indus rivers. The agriculture sector is the backbone of the country's food security, accounting for 25% of Pakistan's GDP.
Over the past nine months, Pakistan has frantically reached out to global forums and the Court of Arbitration over India's move to suspend the treaty. However, it has borne little fruit for Pakistan. Hence, the grand welcome to Banga as it looks to maintain goodwill with the World Bank leadership.
However, last year, Banga categorically said the World Bank had no role to play in resolving the Indus waters dispute, and it was just a facilitator.
Against this backdrop, the extraordinary fanfare with which Banga was received in Pakistan has drawn attention. Pakistan even tried to appropriate Banga as one of their own, even though he was born in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1959. The four-day visit, which was mostly personal, saw Banga travel to Khushab, where his parents once lived before Partition.
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