Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has once again spewed venom against India.
Filled with vitriol and hate, the 'forever 16' Pathan (he's known to fudge his age to prolong cricketing career), Afridi raked up the Kashmir issue during a recent visit to the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Only this time, his wayward deliveries were smacked out of the park, not just by former players but also the current Team India members who were obviously infuriated over his audacity to even target Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I am in your beautiful village, I am very delighted. I was planning to visit you all from a long time. The world is currently infected by such a big disease. But the bigger disease is in Modi’s mind. He deployed 7 lakh soldiers in Kashmir, same as the total strength of Pakistani forces," Afridi had said during his public address in PoK.
The video of his seditious speech went viral and was widely condemned.
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAfridiOfficial</a> is saying is not surprising. Pakistan was created on foundation of Hindu hatred.</p>
When a Pakistani comes to India to make money through films, sports, business or even as a tourist, he puts on a mask of “love & humanity”.
This is the face behind the mask. <a href="https://t.co/TCCQwE22rG">pic.twitter.com/TCCQwE22rG</a>
— Major Gaurav Arya (Retd) (@majorgauravarya) <a href="https://twitter.com/majorgauravarya/status/1261882004448014336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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But this time current India team players also padded up to give a solid thrashing to the former Pakistani skipper.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan tweeted: “<em>Is waqt jab saari duniya corona se lad rahi hai us waqt bhi tumko kashmir ki padi hai. Kashmir humara tha humare hai aur humara hi rahega. Chaiyeh 22 crore le ao, humara ek, sava lakh ke barabar hai . Baaki ginti apne aap kar lena</em>." (the world is fighting against coronavirus right now and you are just bothered about Kashmir? Kashmir is, and will always be, ours. You can bring 22 crore to battle it out but remember one Indian soldier is equal to 125000. Now you can do the math).
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Is waqt jab saari duniya corona se lad rahi hai us waqt bhi tumko kashmir ki padi hai.
Kashmir humara tha humare hai aur humara hi rahega. Chaiyeh 22 crore le ao, humara ek, sava lakh ke barabar hai . Baaki ginti apne aap kar lena <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAfridiOfficial</a></p>
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) <a href="https://twitter.com/SDhawan25/status/1262024869723570178?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Not just Dhawan but also his former India teammates joined in to slam Afridi.
Cricketer-turned-politician and current Member of Parliament Gautam Gambhir, who's had many on-field and Twitter battles with Afridi wrote: "Pak has 7 lakh force backed by 20 Cr ppl says 16 yr old man @SAfridiOfficial. Yet begging for Kashmir for 70 yrs. Jokers like Afridi, Imran & Bajwa can spew venom against India & PM @narendramodi ji to fool Pak ppl but won't get Kashmir till judgment day! Remember Bangladesh?"
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pak has 7 lakh force backed by 20 Cr ppl says 16 yr old man <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAfridiOfficial</a>. Yet begging for Kashmir for 70 yrs. Jokers like Afridi, Imran & Bajwa can spew venom against India & PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> ji to fool Pak ppl but won't get Kashmir till judgment day! Remember Bangladesh?</p>
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) <a href="https://twitter.com/GautamGambhir/status/1261910845224652802?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Left-hander Suresh Raina also felt right to chip in as being a Kashmiri Pandit he's seen the plight of lakhs of Kashmiri people who were driven out of the state by terrorists. He advised Afridi to do something for his 'failed' nation.
Raina tweeted: "Gosh! What all a person must do to remain relevant! Even more so for a nation that is living on alms. So, better do something for your failed nation and leave #Kashmir alone. I am a proud Kashmiri and it is and will always remain an inalienable part of India. Jai Hind!"
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gosh! What all a person must do to remain relevant! Even more so for a nation that is living on alms. So, better do something for your failed nation and leave <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kashmir?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kashmir</a> alone. I am a proud Kashmiri and it is and will always remain an inalienable part of India. Jai Hind!??❤️?</p>
— Suresh Raina?? (@ImRaina) <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina/status/1262042459036516353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Both all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and spinner Harbhajan Singh, who were criticized severely in the recent past for contributing to Afridi's foundation, made it clear that they won't be supporting the Pakistani cricketer anymore.
"Really disappointed by @SAfridiOfficial‘s comments on our Hon’b PM@narendramodi ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again. Jai Hind," tweeted Yuvraj.
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Really disappointed by <a href="https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SAfridiOfficial</a>‘s comments on our Hon’b PM <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@narendramodi</a> ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again.</p>
Jai Hind ??
— yuvraj singh (@YUVSTRONG12) <a href="https://twitter.com/YUVSTRONG12/status/1262001367561846784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Harbhajan also told Afridi to ‘stay in his limits’ and avoid making stupid comments.
However, Afridi, as experience suggests, is not known to be a person who would learn from mistakes.
He's simply obeying his <em>Kaptaan</em> (Captain) Prime Minister Imran Khan's orders or wants to fulfill his ambition to become a full-fledged politician like him.
That he can do by focusing more on his nation and the plight of struggling Pakistanis, who like others are suffering from the coronavirus..
