Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin has urged Pakistan's soon-to-be prime minister Imran Khan to take "bold and positive" calls like the ones he had taken on the cricket field during his time as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team.
Azharuddin said he was happy to see a cricketer becoming the prime minister of a country. He has warned Khan that leading a country is quite different from leading a cricket team.
Khan is all set to be crowned as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan after 65-year-old cricketer-turned politician claimed victory for his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Wednesday's assembly elections.
Having won 115 out of 272 seats, Khan's PTI is falling short of 137 needed for a simple majority. However, the celebrated cricketer is already taking the necessary steps to form a coalition government, according to media reports.
"The decisions he [Khan] took on the cricket field were very positive, very bold and individualistic decisions as a captain. He should do that only," Azharuddin told the Press Trust of India.
"But then we will have to wait and watch what will happen. Leading a country and leading a cricket team are totally two different things. So we need to see what he will do," he added.
Khan shot to international fame with on-field success and off-field flamboyance. He still remains one of the most successful captains of Pakistan. He brilliantly led a team of strong individual talents to glory at the 1992 World Cup.
Khan had floated his party in 1996 but one of the most loved cricketers found it difficult to emulate his success in politics. Multiple failures and the existing political situation in Pakistan reshaped Khan's identity form a fun-loving liberal to a conservative tactician.
Azhar on whether Imran can help improve Indo-Pak bilateral ties
Azharuddin believes Khan has a tough road ahead, especially when it comes to bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. The batting great points finger at the increasing infiltration at the LoC as a major hindrance to peace talks between the neighbours.
"First of all, there are so many problems in his country. First, he has to solve those problems. Then only he can look to solve other problems," Azharuddin said.
"But, when you have so much of animosity and so much of infiltration was happening, I think it is very difficult for talks to take place. First, those things have to stop, then only India will (come forward to) talk. They have to set right so many things."
Sporting relations between the two countries have taken a hit and the Indian government has maintained that resumption of ties will not be possible until cross-border terrorism persists.
According to data compiled by the Union Home Ministry of India, Pakistan violated ceasefire along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir more than 720 times in 2017 — the highest in seven years.
With Khan as Pakistan's leader, one can only hope the bilateral sporting relations between the two countries will improve in the near future.
