Shikhar Dhawan hits back at Shahid Afridi's critique of Indian Army; Pakistani cricketer responds with cryptic low-blow
Shahid Afridi's take on the Indian Army in context of the Pahalgam attack hasn't gone down well with many — and Shikhar Dhawan doesn't mind saying it as it is
The horrors that unfolded in a matter of minutes in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow in the Kashmir Valley on April 22, will live on in infamy for years to come. Armed terrorists, later revealed to be from The Resistance Front (TRF), part of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed 26 innocent lives.
India since, has orchestrated a multi-pronged diplomatic lockdown which includes measures like suspending the Indus water treaty and banning 14 categories of visas for Pakistani nationals. It goes without saying, that the country's jolted sentiments over the terror attack, too are coming out virtually by the minute.
As the world grieves with India, earlier this week, former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi, during an appearance on a Pakistani news channel, unabashedly shared his grossly offensive take on not only the attack itself, but also the Indian Army's apparent inability to protect the people of Kashmir: He said, "Tum logon ki 8 lakh hi fauj hai Kashmir mein aur yeh ho gaya. Iska matlab nalayak ho, nikamme ho na tum log security de nahi sake logon ko".
This and several other hurtful remarks passed casually, of course received the ire of the internet. But cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, had no qualms in publicly taking on Shahid. Sharing the link of an article tracing Shahid's take on the situation, Shikhar's X post read, "Kargil mein bhi haraya tha, already itna gire hue ho aur kitna giroge, bewajah comments pass karne se acha hai apne desh ki taraqqi mai dimag lagao @SAfridiOfficial. Humein hamari Indian Army par bohot garv hai. Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Jai Hind!".
Adding fuel to fire, Shahid's response was rather cryptic. Sharing a picture of himself with tea, Shahid wrote, "Chouro jeet haar ko, aao tumhey chae pilata hun Shikhar".
For those that aren't looped in, this 'jab' is being seen by many as a reference to the unfortunate 2019 incident when Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani Air Force after his plane was downed within Pakistani territory. A video of his interrogation at the time had gone viral, in which Abhinandan can be seen having a cup of tea.
Shikhar is yet to respond.
