Shahid Afridi’s tweet on Kashmir: Indian cricketers lash out at former Pakistan captain

Appalling and worrisome situation ongoing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.Innocents being shot down by oppressive regime to clamp voice of self determination & independence. Wonder where is the @UN & other int bodies & why aren’t they making efforts to stop this bloodshed?

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 3, 2018

Former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, meanwhile, refused to attach importance to Afridi. “I have no time for him. Who is he? Why are we giving importance to him? We should not be giving importance to such people. If somebody sitting in one corner of the world says something, I think the best thing is not to react to it,” he said in Mumbai.

An angry Gautam Gambhir, was the first to take a jibe against the former Pakistani cricketer saying UN in Afridi’s dictionary means “‘UNDER NINTEEN’ his age bracket.” The new Delhi Daredevils captain took to Twitter and wrote, “Media called me for reaction on @SAfridiOfficial tweet on OUR Kashmir & @UN. What’s there to say? Afridi is only looking for @UN which in his retarded dictionary means “UNDER NINTEEN” his age bracket. Media can relax, @SAfridiOfficial is celebrating a dismissal off a no- ball!!!”

Media called me for reaction on @SAfridiOfficial tweet on OUR Kashmir & @UN. What’s there to say? Afridi is only looking for @UN which in his retarded dictionary means “UNDER NINTEEN” his age bracket. Media can relax, @SAfridiOfficial is celebrating a dismissal off a no- ball!!!

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) April 3, 2018

Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina whose ancestors belonged to Kashmir said, “Kashmir is an integral part of India and will remain so always. Kashmir is the pious land where my forefathers were born. I hope @SAfridiOfficial bhai asks Pakistan Army to stop terrorism and proxy war in our Kashmir. We want peace, not bloodshed and violence.”

Afridi’s comments drew criticism not just from within the cricket fraternity but from others as well. Slamming the former Pakistan cricketer, noted lyricist Javed Akhtar asked him to ensure that “Pakistani terrorists” stop cross-border infiltration in order to stop the bloodshed in the valley. “Dear Mr Afridi, since you want to see a peaceful JK sans any human rights violations could you please see to it that pak terrorists stop infiltrations n pak army stops supporting the separatists by closing down the training camps. It will greatly help in solving the problem,” Akhtar tweeted on Wednesday.

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar also called Afridi’s comments “absolutely ridiculous.” “What he has tweeted is absolutely ridiculous. Everybody knows what kind of proxy war is going on in Kashmir. The Indian Authorities are managing their responsibilities well,” the Fashion director told ANI.

National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah who has been pushing for a dialogue between India and Pakistan to find a solution to Kashmir conflict said, “Everybody has condemned it. Not one nation, every nation is condemning the killings. The killing must stop.”

Dear Mr Afridi , since you want to see a peaceful JK sans any human rights violations could you please see to it that pak terrorists stop infiltrations n pak army stops supporting the separatists by closing down the training camps . It will greatly help in solving the problem

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) April 3, 2018

This, however, is not the first time that Afridi has commented on Kashmir. While captaining Pakistan in World T20 in 2016, he had said “many people here are from Kashmir” prior to a contest in Mohali. He had also faced a backlash from his own country in 2016 after he said that he was showered with more love in India than in Pakistan. Earlier this year, the cricketer had won laurels either side of the border when he promptly told an Indian fan to hold the national flag properly while posing for a picture. On Tuesday, Afridi shared the same image with the message: “We respect all. And this is an example as a sportsman. But when it comes to human rights, we expect the same for our innocent Kashmiris.”

Appalling and worrisome situation ongoing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir.Innocents being shot down by oppressive regime to clamp voice of self determination & independence. Wonder where is the @UN & other int bodies & why aren’t they making efforts to stop this bloodshed?

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 3, 2018