Shahid Afridi slams India over Pahalgam incident

Shahid Afridi slams India over Pahalgam incident

Asher Butt

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has also strongly criticized India over the Pahalgam incident.

Speaking to the media during his visit to the Khawaja Junaid Hockey Academy at the National Hockey Stadium, he stated that the Pahalgam incident is a drama staged by India.

"How is it possible that terrorists carried out operations for an hour, and 800,000 soldiers didn't arrive?" Afridi questioned.

He further alleged, "Indians themselves kill their own people and then revive them. India has a long history of making blunders."

Regarding the statement by BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla about not playing a series with Pakistan, Shahid Afridi clarified that India never intended to play with Pakistan in the first place. Bilateral series haven't been held for a long time.

According to "Boom Boom" Afridi, Pakistan and Islam teach peace and brotherhood, and no country or religion supports terrorism. "We have always tried to have good relations with India. During the 2016 T20 World Cup, we didn't even know if we were going to India to play or not. India's Kabaddi team comes here, but their cricket team doesn't. If you want to stop something, stop everything," he asserted.

In response to a question, Shahid Afridi stated that there is no consistency in the policies of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and things will never improve with frequent changes. He mentioned that during his meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, he didn't complain about Mohsin Naqvi but rather suggested that if he were given a single responsibility, he could focus more effectively. "During my meeting with Mohsin Naqvi, I told him that both his positions are very significant; he should keep the chairmanship of the PCB. Mohsin Naqvi has done a lot of work in Punjab and has delivered."

When asked about taking any position in the Pakistan Cricket Board or the team, Shahid Afridi replied, "I don't need any position in the Pakistan Cricket Board or the team. If the team wants to utilize my services, they should do so at the grassroots level."

The former captain also said that Mohammad Rizwan should not have stated in the media that his hands are tied. "When we defeated South Africa, Rizwan didn't say such a thing then. In my opinion, when you are a captain, you shouldn't make excuses for defeats."

Speaking about PSL, Shahid Afridi opined that Ali Raza is the only youngster who has shown good performance in PSL. "The talent for which the platform was created hasn't been visible yet. I have heard that some PSL franchise owners are claiming financial losses. However, many franchise owners have also benefited from PSL." Shahid Afridi suggested that when domestic cricket is ongoing in Pakistan, no player should be allowed to play in any league.