NEW DELHI, 2 April 2004 — India’s first ever cricket Test win on Pakistani soil yesterday swept the entire nation into joyous celebrations marking perhaps a historic turn in tides that were not even speculated less than two months ago.
President APJ Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi sent congratulatory messages to the victorious team.
Expressing confidence that India will win the series, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya said in Calcutta: “It is a historic win. The boys displayed superb match temperament to win their first Test in Pakistan.”
The epicenter of the celebrations was no other place than Baroda, which till not long ago was split apart by communal animosity between Hindus and Muslims. But when the local boy Irfan Pathan captured the prized wicket of Yousuf Youhana, spelling India’s historic win in Multan, it was celebration time here. As traffic came to a halt, people burst crackers and waved the tricolor, history was rewritten here, spelling proud, thrilling minutes for Hindus and Muslims alike.
As friends and well-wishers streamed in to congratulate Pathan’s parents, his father Mehboob Khan Pathan said: “We are very happy that India won and more so because our son played an important role by taking six wickets.” Mehboob said that on his son’s request they had offered special prayers at 5 a.m.
Elated by the win, Irfan’s mother Shamim Banu said that she and her husband were looking forward to go to Lahore for the second Test starting April 5. They were waiting for visa clearance.
Delighted by Virender Sehwag’s performance, the man of the match who scored 309, visitors came pouring in at his home in Delhi to congratulate his family members.
“It is great news for us. India’s win is special and more so since Veeru notched a triple century, which is not an easy thing to do,” his mother Krishna said. For the proud mother, his 309 also meant a fulfillment of her desire. Earlier, when Sehwag had crossed 200, she had reacted by saying that it was not enough, he must notch 300.
At the new Feroze Shah Kotla stadium in Delhi, one of the gates is going to be named after Sehwag for his record-breaking knock against Pakistan.
Rebels Set Off Bomb to Press for Poll Boycott in Kashmir
Suspected rebels exploded a bomb inside a government office in Kashmir yesterday, saying it was a warning to employees to boycott this month’s countrywide elections.
The bomb blew up inside a washroom of the municipal corporation office in Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital, causing minor injuries to an employee and sending people fleeing in panic, a police spokesman said.
A little-known rebel group, Al-Arifeen, claimed responsibility for the bombing in a telephone call to the Srinagar-based Current News Service. “This is a warning to those employees who plan to take part in the upcoming elections,” a spokesman for the group was quoted as saying.
“We could have planted the bomb anywhere to cause casualties, but we deliberately placed it inside a toilet. It was just a warning.” The municipal corporation is set to contribute poll officers and prepare electoral rolls for the voting set to take place in four stages in Kashmir from April 20.
