For the past two days, there has been a vigorous campaign against former cricketer and ex-captain Shahid Khan Afridi on social media, with numerous posts, tweets, and comments circulating. Some people are defending him, but the majority of opinions are critical.
How did the controversy arise?
There are two recent events. The most significant and damaging incident is a photo posted by a pro-Israel group, North West Friends of Israel (NWFOI), on their Twitter handle. The photo shows Shahid Afridi standing with the organization’s co-chairman Rafi Bloom and deputy chairman Bernie Yaf. The leaders of the pro-Israel group were holding flyers or pamphlets demanding the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Did Shahid Afridi support Israeli demands?
The pro-Israel group suggested that Shahid Afridi endorsed their demands for the release of Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity. This news spread rapidly, becoming a sensational topic. The post was made yesterday and has already been viewed by millions. People started writing against Shahid Afridi and posting videos, making it a trending topic on Twitter.
Shahid Afridi’s denial and clarification
Disturbed by the situation, Shahid Afridi released a detailed tweet from his Twitter handle. According to Afridi, it was a coincidence, and while he was wandering the streets of Manchester, some fans took selfies with him, which were then posted in support of Israel. Afridi stated that he did not see the flyers or notice the placards. In his tweet, Afridi openly spoke in favor of Palestinians and also called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The debate on social media continues, with some people giving Afridi the benefit of the doubt while many others reject his explanation, arguing that Afridi is not a child and should have noticed the placards or pamphlets. Meanwhile, the pro-Israel group defended their post, claiming Afridi had taken the photo with them using his own mobile phone.
Shahid Afridi vs Imran Riaz controversy
Interestingly, a day before this incident, Shahid Afridi had a confrontation with vlogger Imran Riaz Khan. Imran Riaz Khan, a well-known and popular vlogger with about six million followers on Twitter, had released a strongly critical video (vlog) against Afridi, which went viral. Imran Riaz blamed Shahid Afridi for the Pakistani team’s poor performance in the World Cup, alleging that Afridi’s politics had ruined Pakistani cricket. He suggested that Afridi should be kept away from the team to avoid further damage, claiming Afridi’s involvement would negatively impact Shaheen Shah Afridi’s career.
Shahid Afridi’s counterattack on Imran Riaz
Shahid Afridi responded to Imran Riaz’s criticism by calling him a “wet partridge” on Twitter. Afridi claimed that people like Imran Riaz were the reason their leader (Imran Khan) was in jail, and without such advisors, he wouldn’t be imprisoned. Afridi accused Imran Riaz of making videos against him for YouTube dollars, stating this was his final response to such accusations. PTI social media users started criticizing Afridi, and Imran Riaz’s fans began questioning Afridi’s cricket career. Despite the ongoing debate, Imran Riaz did not exploit the Israel-supporting group’s photo issue and suggested that since Afridi had denied it, the matter should be closed.
Shahid Afridi vs PTI followers
Shahid Khan Afridi’s conflict with PTI supporters is not new and has been ongoing for the past two and a half years. When Shehbaz Sharif became the Prime Minister in the previous PDM government, Afridi congratulated him and expressed hope that he would lead Pakistan out of crises. This upset PTI supporters, who criticized Afridi extensively. In an interview around that time, Afridi praised Shehbaz Sharif’s administrative capabilities and suggested that Imran Khan should engage in parliamentary politics. (This was when Imran Khan had boycotted Parliament.)
Assessing the allegations against Shahid Afridi
Did Shahid Afridi support Israel?
Shahid Afridi has strongly denied this, and his close friends and reliable sources also reject this notion. Afridi, known for his passionate and religious demeanor, has always supported Islamic and Eastern ethics, which he detailed in his book “Game Changer.” During the Gaza crisis, he even hoisted the Palestinian flag at his home alongside the Pakistani flag. It is hard to believe that someone with such a stance would support Israel. It appears that Afridi took a selfie with fans without noticing the flyers they were holding.
Did Afridi’s politics cause the cricket team’s defeat?
Imran Riaz Khan’s claim that Afridi’s politics ruined the team is exaggerated. Afridi has never been involved in match-fixing and has always spoken against it. Although some accuse him of groupism and lobbying against coaches like Waqar Younis and not being friendly with Misbah-ul-Haq, Afridi is not as conspiratorial as others like Shoaib Malik. According to a prominent sports journalist close to Afridi, he never influenced them to write in favor of Shaheen Afridi. In fact, Afridi believed Shaheen should not be captain yet, even advising him against taking the captaincy of Lahore Qalandars in PSL. If there were any team issues, the responsibility lies with the Cricket Board Chairman and the poor decisions of the board, not Afridi.
The recent campaign against Afridi is seen as biased and based on resentment.
