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Pakistan minister's remark boomerangs

Pakistan information minister Mushahid Hussain's remark that ''nuclear Pakistan'' will write success stories both in Kargil and in cricket has boomeranged. At least on the cricket field, after the hat-trick of defeats Pakistan suffered against Bangladesh, South Africa and arch-rivals India.

People in Pakistan smashed between 50,000 and 70,000 television sets and had no dinner on Tuesday, when Pakistan lost to India at Old Trafford, just when most of the countrymen, like their captain Wasim Akram, had taken victory for granted.

A BBC programme, ''Muktoob-e-Pakistan'', said there was not much grief when South Africa beat Pakistan. However, when it lost to Bangladesh, about 30,000 houses in Karachi had no food. The reason was not an overwhelming feeling of national humiliation, but because most of the cooks were Bengalis, who were too jubilant to work.

Just a few days before the Indo-Pak World Cup match, information minister Mushahid Hussain had said: "The chain of success that Pakistan achieved in Chaghai (nuclear-testing site) will continue through Kargil to the field of cricket.''

But ironically, Pakistan ''achieved'' a hat-trick of defeats, leaving cricket fans bitter about their captain and other team members.

UNI