No one could have imagined that cricket, an Englishman's game would rule over the hearts and minds of those residing in the sub-continent.
Eleven men make up a cricket team. They have the unforeseen power to unite a nation which is divided on multiple levels of class, religion and ethnicity.
Yet, it has been proven innumerable times now that a game of cricket can bring together Pakistan's masses.
Let's consider the on-going T20 World Cup currently being held in Bangladesh. It is indeed a sight to be witnessed, the day when Pakistan team's match is scheduled.
Children are in a rush to complete their school work, members belonging to the working class try reaching their homes before the match commences so that they do not miss out on any action.
Cricket fever has reached an extreme which was never seen before. On the day of the match, screen arrangements are made in hotels, public parks, malls, apartment complexes -- even home theater systems are set up as prerequisites for the "big game."
On days when there are no international or domestic cricket games being held, an everyday scenario which can be seen on most of the lanes of the country is street cricket. Young and old boys can be seen in clusters, teaming up and playing against one another.
In a place where the citizens show so much enthusiasm in cricket, why can't members of the higher authority keep a capacious budget to spend on infrastructure to promote sports?
The government fails to realize that allotting hefty sums of money on defense every year is not bringing any fruitful results, neither is the society moving towards any form of stability.
When millions can be spent on laying out the Metro Bus track, why can't, lets say, a quarter of the same amount be assigned to promote sports for the people of Pakistan?
Not only are the people confined to cricket mania only, but football has gained a lot of popularity in recent times. Usually people belonging to the Makran tribe, (a group of people who drive their origins from Balochistan, a province in Pakistan) are huge buffs of the game.
Not belonging to influential backgrounds, these members cannot afford professional coaches nor do they have proper equipages that are required.
In spite of all the odds, these kids recently won a game of football against India beating them 13-0 in the Street Child World Cup taking place in Rio.
These kids can win games on an international level, yet these children belong to the part of a society which suffers from acute poverty. If in these conditions they can display their skills in such a fashion, if given proper training they can surely do wonders.
The majority of the citizens residing in Pakistan have to face immense stress on a daily basis, be it because of work, power outages, security issues, terrorism or the fear of staying unemployed. When this mental pressure increases, usually an individual might get off the track and carry out acts which are wrong. This leads to an increase in crime rates.
What is a necessity now is to make sports centers where people can be given training in multiple games, not only cricket or football. Staying active by playing games can help people relieve their stresses which can certainly bring down rates of illegal activity that is carried out.
Javier Hernandez, also known as Chicharito, a Mexican who plays for Manchester United Football Club, has helped bring down crime rates in Mexico. While he's playing, people are so engrossed in watching the match that many offenses against the law are minimized. The government should start thinking about allocating a good sum of money on sports and this matter should be taken seriously, for it will indeed bring about conducive results for the citizens of the nation.