Following Pakistan’s defeat against arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup 2024 match in New York on Sunday, the reaction from Pakistanis, including former cricketers, was intense.
This reaction was heightened by Pakistan’s humiliating loss to the USA, a minor player in the world of cricket. Amidst this uproar, some individuals revealed their prejudices. One such individual was former Pakistani cricketer Ijaz Ahmed, who directed his criticism of the national team players specifically at Pashtun players, making offensive racist comments.
While speaking on ARY News, Ijaz Ahmed remarked, “Look at the [Pakistan] cricket team now, 80% of it has come from remote areas like KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). If you select a team right now, 6-8 of the players are Pathans, who do not have education. They wake up in the morning to go for namaz with their relatives or brothers, and return back and then they don’t leave their homes after that.”
He further suggested that cricketers from such remote villages cannot handle the pressure in major tournaments like the World Cup.
These comments were met with widespread anger and disgust on social media, with many demanding an apology from Ijaz Ahmed for his racist remarks against the Pashtuns.
CEO of ARY News Salman Iqbal denounced Ijaz Ahmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying “What was said at Kashif Abbasi’s show by Ijaz ahmed is not acceptable by ARY management and me personally. I have a huge respect for the Pakhtun community and all the communities we have in Pakistan . I think that Ijaz ahmed should appologise to the pakhtun community on his statement.”
Here is how netizens reacted:
