Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has now been critical of Shahid Afridi who blasted some unusual statements the latter made in view of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu, and Kashmir. The attack claimed the lives of 26 civilians and Afridi’s comments elicited such a response on social media that many have found them quite bizarre.
During this interview, Afridi challenged the whole narrative around the attack while claiming without basis of evidence of Pakistani involvement. Kaneria was very critical of Afridi. He said that Afridi always speaks with extremist views. He also mentioned a personal incident wherein Afridi insisted on his conversion to Islam. Kaneria thought that this was uncalled for but was further insulted when Afridi refused to eat with him. On his social media handle, Kaneria demanded that Afridi should be banned in India, especially on television, listing his extremist comments as the main reason.
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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… https://t.co/gArYTNX1x4
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) April 28, 2025
Earlier in the week, Afridi was interviewed by the Pakistani media and made comments that have irked India. He asked for proof of Pakistan’s involvement in the attack and questioned the capability of the Indian army in securing Kashmir. He seemed to argue that if there is so large a military presence, this should not have happened. This uninvited suggestion was made by him considering the horrible attack and was deeply resented by many.
In retaliation to the incident, the Indian government has put a ban on various Pakistani YouTube channels. It has also alleged these channels of disseminating divisive and misleading information against India and its military actions. Some notable names of these channels were those hosted formerly by cricketers such as Shoaib Akhtar and Basit Ali, which therefore attests to the weight of accusations made and the Indian efforts at attempting to set the narrative on it. In general, this whole situation has led to quite an uproar, thereby raising pertinent questions about accountability and the effects of public figures in delicate matters.
