'The IPL and India have made fun of us'

	Pakistan's players won't feature in the summer's extravaganza © Associated Press Enlarge
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"The IPL and India have made fun of us and our country."
Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi feels snubbed

"To see Afridi remain unsold and a rookie like Pollard bag a fortune ... doesn't it say everything?"
Pakistan board's chief operating officer Wasim Bari raises a pertinent question

"It really does not bother us; what difference does it make to us if our players don't play in the IPL this season? They didn't play in the last season as well."
Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt thinks a few million dollars lost isn't a big deal

"I agree this is a private event, but to be excluded without giving any reason and without looking at the background is unfair. If they had told us we would have told the boys not to apply at all."
A day later Butt changes his mind about how he feels about it all

"No one talks about the players from countries like Australia, Canada and Zimbabwe not being picked in the auction. There was no preconceived conspiracy to leave Pakistani players."
Lalit Modi, the IPL commisioner, denies there was a plan to keep Pakistani players out

"It is the IPL which has lost out because the fact is our players have star value and are the best in T20 cricket."
Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan allrounder, thinks the joke's on the IPL

"I have phoned the sports minister of India and recorded a protest over the unjust and discriminatory treatment meted out to the Pakistani cricketers."
Politics butts into the issue with Pakistan's sports minister Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani leading the charge

"Pakistanis must boycott IPL matches on television, ban the use of Indian products and stop watching Indian films featuring Bollywood stars who are IPL franchisees till an official apology is received from the Indian government and the IPL organisers."
Pakistani political party Jamaat-e-Islami chief Munawar Hasan is all for extreme action

"IPL is not only a cricket league but it is also a commercial enterprise and the government of India and the sports ministry has nothing to do with them."
India's sports minister MS Gill doesn't want to be dragged into it

"I feel what is the fault of the cricketers in this. We also feel a cricketer is not an extremist nor is he a supporter [of terrorism]."
Nitin Gadkari, the president of Indian political party Bharatiya Janata Party, would like to see Pakistanis in the IPL

"… if the players now think their dignity has been compromised, they have themselves to blame."
Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja says there are many in the country who feel the players were too desperate to play in the million-dollar league

"I fear a day will come when world cricket will be run by India alone. So I fear if Australia, England, Sri Lanka and the West Indies don't realise this, world cricket will be at the mercy of India."
Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad sends out a warning to all cricket that is not run by the BCCI

"... for such a long tournament we have to be completely convinced on player availability ie not just their dates but their presence in India, as providing security is a huge concern, with threats from some lunatic fringes..we could not afford that risk as we value our players."
Rajasthan Royals stakeholder Shilpa Shetty justifies not picking any Pakistanis in the auction

"Pakistani cricketers were treated badly by India, so to keep our national pride we must not send our hockey team to the World Cup."
Former Pakistan hockey captain Islahuddin Siddiqui supports his brethren