FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Eight years ago, Muslim Asiam-Ul-Qureshi caused a stir when he played Wimbledon with the Israeli Amir Hadad. His run to this year’s Wimbledon quarters with the Hindu Indian Rohan Bopanna drew more attention.
But the whirlwind their run to the U.S. Open men’s final created in New York was something else. Indians and Pakistanis came out early, and even though their men lost 7-6(5), 7-6(4) to the vastly popular Bryan Bros., Querishi’s statement that Pakistanis are misunderstood drew huge applause from the Ashe Stadium throng. Just afterward Inside Tennis caught up with the duo, India’s ambassador to the U.N., Hardeep Puri, and the Pakistani ambassador, Hussain Abdullah Hardoon.
INSIDE TENNIS: What a run you’ve had here.
ASIAM-UL-QURESHI: The dream would have been better if I won. But as a Pakistani and a Muslim, I feel like sharing this view with the people out there. I just want to make them understand that all of us are on the same side. All of us want world peace, as much as people in America want. We’re just loving, caring, friendly people. A few extremists we have, but it doesn’t make all of Pakistan a terrorist nation.
IT: Will your run and all the attention it has drawn help getting approval for that match on the Indo-Pak border that you are hoping for?
ASIAM-UL-QURESHI: It’s unbelievably good news. It’s a step toward for the borders match. The Prime Minister called me. I’m hoping to meet him in person when I go back. I wish to discuss this matter with him. Things are going in the right direction. This great run is going to get more publicity and a wider audience. Hopefully, we’ll get it done in December.
IT: At this time of great trouble, what does it mean to the Pakistani people to have Qureshi do so well?
HUSSAIN ABDULLAH HAROON: You cannot underestimate this. I was speaking to Pakistan yesterday and much of today and people are on the street. It’s pretty late at night there. But people are up, waiting and watching and enjoying. In fact, everyone says, ‘Do you think it’s possible we can win?’ After all the other disappointments, this is a great feat.
IT: After over 60 years of problems and heartache, can this in some way actually help to bring these two nations together?
HUSSAIN ABDULLAH HAROON: Sports always play a certain role. No matter how you look at it, this is bound to improve things, because this is people to people. It’s not governments to governments, which have reservations and other aspects. The people have enjoyed, I know this for a fact. I’ve been speaking to a lot of television in India. It has created tremendous interest and in Pakistan the same. Of course, with India’s the recent very generous offer of $25 million to help the flooding victims, with more possibly to follow, from India, that has been a great too. All this is building up toward to something good, I hope.
IT: In Nelson Mandela‘s South Africa there was that amazing run to the Rugby World Cup Championship final that brought the races together. Qureshi and Bopanna have asked for a match together on the Pakistani-India border. Would you encourage that?
HUSSAIN ABDULLAH HAROON: Absolutely. We’ll certainly talk to the governments and as far as I’m concerned — I can speak for myself — I would certainly try my level best to ensure it happens. It’s a great gesture. And well done to them both of them for leading the way.
IT: There was a nice gesture made on Center Court talking about the misunderstandings in the U.S. about Pakistan. Did that hit home?
HUSSAIN ABDULLAH HAROON: About a month ago I held a Sufi festival in Union Square. We had a fat task. What we said there is that this is the Pakistan we want you to see. Not what a few want you to see in a few minutes on television. An interesting fact — 20 million people displaced. If you see people coming out of the water wading with their near and dear loved ones, there were no weaponry. That proves our point. The majority of the country wants peace. The majority of the country wants to do away with this horrible terrorism and its affliction to the nation. They don’t want it. Overwhelmingly. I’m also happy too say with the Indian ambassador here for the first time, the armed forces in Pakistan are outlining their opposition and have declared that Indian is no longer enemy No. 1 as it used to very often. This year, they have listed the Taliban and the terrorists as enemy No. 1. And that is a tremendous sea change in their thinking. And we welcome that. It’s a great thing.
IT: You mentioned your Sufi festival in New York. What, could you possibly imagine, would the great Sufi love poet Rumi say about two men who use tennis rackets to bring people together?
HUSSAIN ABDULLAH HAROON: What we most don’t realize is that Islam was brought to the Indian subcontinent largely through Sufism. Sufism knows no bounds. They have parameters that keep enlarging themselves in the valley of love, and people believe that love becomes the single most important factor in anything one does in the world. Sufis lead the way. They’re the ones who brought the Muslims into India. Their message is very clear. There must be peace and brotherhood. As Rumi says, spread your message of peace and brotherhood and joy everywhere, overwhelmingly. That’s what we’d like to do. This game does symbolize this in a great fashion. What the two boys are doing here is what Ambassador Hardeep and I have been pursuing here for a very long time at the UN. We would like to see brotherhood and peace. The skeptics can have their say. It’s always good for them to have their say. But the fact still remains that there will be moments like this and if we can take advantage of those moments and move forward, the people of the Indian subcontinent would love to see changes.
HARDEEP PURI: Look at the message it sends; that and Indian and a Pakistani are playing on the same side. This is not a message that is confined to only this event. There are a lot of events. I had the privilege of hosting a concert at the UN last evening, where my Pakistani colleague sat with me…[during] a sarod recital. And that was an “Ode to Peace.” The core message comes through that you cannot allow relations between two countries like India and Pakistan, which are neighbors, to be held hostage to the actions of a few. The large majority want peace, they want tranquility, they want to live together and get on with their daily lives. Now what we need to do is further isolate those who want to disrupt the relationship between the countries and get on with the work of peace and economic development. That’s the larger message.
HARDEEP PURI: We must isolate the actions of a few misguided people who want to disrupt. The government of India, for which I can speak, wants to go that extra mile to ensure that we have an environment of peace and stability. I think my Pakistani colleague shares that sentiment. And that’s what we’ve been trying to do at the U.N. We were delighted to see them here at the U.S. Open, reaching the final and playing so well.
IT: In the past the great Mahatma Gandhi came all the way to London to try to influence leaders. What do you think he would think of this day?
HARDEEP PURI: The Mahatma dedicated his life to pursuing causes. He spent his time in South Africa, and, of course, working between Hindus and Muslims on issues just like this. It is hypothetical, but I’m sure he would have worked on this if he were alive and I’m sure he would have been thrilled with today.”
