A cricket terrorist?

Pakistan cricket legend Imran Khan is to be charged under anti-terrorism legislation following his arrest today, police say.

Khan, who led Pakistan to cricket World Cup glory in 1992 and has since formed a small but vocal opposition party, was initially placed under house arrest after Musharraf imposed emergency rule on November 3. However, he slipped the net and had been in hiding until today.

Imran Khan is know and respected trough the cricketing world. Perhaps not always liked, but then his patrician stance harked back to the days of a game divided between ‘gentlemen and the paid players’; Khan was always the ‘gentleman player’.

Of course the Khan title is synonymous with some Muslim ruling classes, and many see the Muslim link as synonymous with terrorism. (Funny they don’t see the same correlation with fundamentalist Christian.)

Khan seems to disabuse that idea with his failed marriage to Jemima, the daughter of late multimillionaire British industrialist James Goldsmith. For those unfamiliar with the Goldsmith family, they have an acknowledged Jewish heritage.

It would be easy to perceive Imran as a puffed up, self important prick. But I think his passion for whatever he goes after belies that summary. He is focussed and determined, but the terrorist label is way over the top.

Don’t tell George W or Musharraf, but I’m inclined to see them as the ones subverting rule of law and decent human principles.