A couple of Urdu papers have interestingly urged the Indian government to come to Myanmar’s help — Jamaat-e-Islami’s bi-weekly Daawat (October 7) writes, “the whole world is concerned about Myanmar today. India’s government is not ready to do anything about offering any relief to the ordinary people, as it did in 1971, in East Pakistan, to help the people there free themselves from the domination of West Pakistan.” Akhbar-e-Mashriq on September 29 has also urged the Indian government to “play an important role — ahem role — as a neighbour.”

Shoaib’s apology

After losing the T20 final to India, the Pakistani captain’s apology to the “Muslims of the world” continues to attract comment and criticism. Akhbar-e-Mashriq, in an editorial on September 27 writes, “A game is a game, what has it to do with religion?” The paper has described Shoaib’s remark as a “badbakht (wretched) remark”, and says that “after hearing Shoaib’s remark, Hindu players in his team — Danish Kaneria and Yousuf Youhana, who was a Christian till yesterday — would have felt very hurt.” The same paper the next day too, writes, “Syed Kirmani has condemned the remark as Pakistan does not represent world’s Muslims and if somebody takes recourse to religion for playing well, he is a jaahil (illiterate and an ignoramus). Hockey star, Aslam Sher Khan has also found no place for such talk in games, he says, maybe as the interview was in English, he was unable to express himself appropriately”.