NEW DELHI – Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar today said he will takethe government’s advice before deciding to attend his great cricket rivalImran Khan’s swearing-in as the next Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Gavaskar, along with former skipper Kapil Dev, have been invited to attendthe oath-taking ceremony of Imran, who led Pakistan to its maiden World Cuptitle in 1992. “I would like to take our government’s OK, take their view,opinion whether I should travel there even if there is a day when I am ableto go,” Gavaskar told ‘India Today’. Gavaskar is not certain as to whetherhe will be able to attend the ceremony as he has his other commitments.
“I just got the invite yesterday, and the invite was from his (Imran’s)office, his party. An official invite in a way hasn’t been there. I wouldlike to travel but whether I would be able to travel is a differentmatter.”And I say this because I have got commitments to do commentary forthe second Test starting at Lord’s. As of now from what I gathered the dateof the swearing-in is not yet certain.
“If it is on the 15th (August) I clearly won’t be able to go because it’smy mother’s 93rd birthday, apart from it being India’s Independence day.And the same evening I am going to England to cover the remaining threeTest matches.” The former India skipper recalled the days followingPakistan’s World Cup triumph in 1992, when he was invited for the team’sfelicitation ceremony in Lahore.
“Nawaz Sharif was the prime minister of Pakistan then and he invited me forthe felicitation ceremony, which was held at a packed Gaddafi Stadium inLahore. It was terrific to be part of celebration because nine yearsearlier we had that experience in the 1983 World Cup in England.
“I remember we went to Imran’s house for dinner quite often. I was therefor about three or four days and he had Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan coming overto his place and singing, which was fantastic.