World Cup: For 63-yr-old, India-Pakistan match about assembly granddaughter for first time

LIYAKAT KHAN, a retired Block Development Officer from Haryana’s Nuh district, can’t await the India-Pakistan World Cup match in Ahmedabad on October 14, and his causes aren’t simply cricketing. The most-watched match of the mega occasion will give him an opportunity to carry his two-year-old granddaughter in his arms for the primary time.

It’s been 4 years since Khan’s daughter, Samiya, bought married to Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali in Dubai in 2019. After her wedding ceremony, she wasn’t in a position to make the journey throughout the border — until now.

“My wife went to Pakistan in 2021 when my daughter was expecting her first child. We will meet again, hopefully, in Ahmedabad. I can’t wait to hold my grandchild,” says Khan, 63, who lives in Chandeni village.

Before the Pakistan crew’s go to to India, there have been days clouded by uncertainty over the long-awaited household reunion.

First, there have been questions in regards to the crew’s journey to India, and later, Hasan Ali wasn’t named within the provisional World Cup squad. It was solely after Naseem Shah suffered an damage throughout final month’s Asia Cup, that Ali was named as a late substitute.

Considering the hype across the India-Pakistan match and the political rigidity, Khan is cautious to weigh his phrases. Recalling the day his daughter expressed her need to marry Ali, he brings thinker Rumi into the dialog.

“I lived my life on one of Rumi’s quotes that I read during my college days in Rohtak. ‘Apne dil ki suno, bheed ki nahi (listen to your heart, not to the crowd)’. My daughter was working as a flight engineer with Emirates airline and met Hasan in Dubai through a mutual friend. She told me about him and I never doubted her decision,” he says.

“What is the point of education if I force my decisions on her? She is educated, independent. Who cares what a few people say behind our backs? I told her it doesn’t matter who she is getting married to as long as she is happy. We have our extended families in Pakistan, who went there during Partition. Hasan is kind with a beautiful heart,” he says.

Asked if he faces an inner battle throughout India-Pakistan matches during which his son-in-law is taking part in, he says: “I have seen Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammed Azharuddin, but I am a Virat Kohli fan. Mujhe mohabbat hai Virat Kohli se (I am in love with Virat Kohli),” he says, bursting into laughter.

“I don’t think there is anyone better than Virat Kohli in this era. Yes, there was a slump in form, but he is back — still not at his best, but far ahead of the rest. I have this feeling that he will end up being the leading run-getter of the World Cup. When I meet Hasan, I will request him to help me meet the players of my team (India) as well. I want to take a photo with Virat Kohli, and give my regards to Rahul Dravid,” he says.

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For Kohli too, Khan borrows well-known phrases. This time, he quotes George Bernard Shaw when speaking about Kohli’s interval of hunch. “Shaw said ‘the secret to success is to offend the greatest number of people’. This explains what happened with Virat Kohli when people were criticising him during his lows. He is a great, probably the greatest Indian cricketer,” he says.

Khan says there isn’t a day when he doesn’t pray for higher relations between India and Pakistan. “Meri Allah se yahi guzarish rehti hai ki dono mulkon ke rishte sudhar jaaye (My prayer to Allah everyday is for improved ties between India and Pakistan). We can live peacefully as brothers,” he says.

And, like several father or mother, he hopes to see his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter at his residence in Chandeni. “I want more cricket series between India and Pakistan. Hopefully, Hasan will play in Delhi some day, and we’ll be able to host him at our home. My daughter can come and stay at her house. Is this too much to ask for a father,” he says.