A week after the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 people dead, former Pakistan Cricket Team captain Shahid Afridi made a scathing attack on the Indian government and the armed forces for the lives lost at the picturesque tourist spot, Baisaran. 26 civilians including a foreigner were shot dead on April 22 at the Baisaran meadows in the southern Kashmir valley.
Soon after the attack, the Indian government took several diplomatic decisions, including the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty and also revoked 14 categories of visas for Pakistani nationals. At a time when condolences from the cricketing fraternity poured in from all over the world, Afridi’s remarks have not gone well with Indians.
“The terrorists continued to kill people in Pahalgam for an hour, and not a single Indian soldier out of 8 lakhs showed up. But when they did, they blamed Pakistan,” Afridi told local reporters.
The 48-year-old didn’t stop there as he blasted India for blaming Pakistan. “India carries out terrorism itself, kills its own people, and then puts the blame on Pakistan.” Due to the diplomatic tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012.
The two countries meet only during the events hosted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). In fact, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the recent Champions Trophy earlier in February-March.
Kaneria blasts Afridi for extremist remarks
Meanwhile, Afridi’s former Pakistan teammate Danish Kaneria has blasted the all-rounder for his extremist remarks. He also mentioned that Afridi persuaded him to convert to Islam.
“He has consistently aligned himself with extremist views. In my opinion, he should not be given a platform on Indian television or within the country. Additionally, he tried to persuade me to convert to Islam and declined to share a meal with me, which I found deeply disrespectful,” Kaneria posted on X.
