A poem by Aktar Ahmed, about the fan campaign to cancel Bangladesh Cricket team’s trip to Pakistan. Translated from Bangla, posted for discussion. I do not support use of racialized slurs such as “Paki,” which was rhymed with “Baki” in this poem.
“Tigers Won’t Go”
– Aktar Ahmed
The country where lives are lost to bomb blasts
The administration is always in a coma
Bombs go off in mosques, homes, cantonments
Militant attacks happen under state patronage
The country that sinned [in 1971] and never thinks of apologies
To that country our team has to go? They will not!
If Lotus truly gave his word
That’s his error, let him handle own obligation
Why should Mushfiq and Riyad take on that error?
(let Lotus go, give him a “good bye” as well)
He only thinks of power. Not of cricket.
Just because Lotus said, team will go? They will not!
Pakistan’s soil is wrapped in white shroud cloth
Everybody knows, even BCB and Papan
Lanka’s story still written in red ink…
Knowingly jump into that quicksand?
A tour from which the team gets nothing
Why should they go? They will not!
Honored Chairman, tell the Pakis
Tigers won’t go (let the rest go instead)
টাইগার্স যাচ্ছে না! Bangla original
আলাল ও দুলাল | ALAL O DULAL 
“tell the Pakis
Tigers won’t go”
Really? Was there nothing else the poet could find to rhyme with in the original? Does one really have to insult a whole people who don’t have any control over their government or other events that are engulfing their vicinity?
The rhyming was between “Paki” and “Baki” (the rest). Agree with you that it is an unnecessary and ethnicizing insult.