On Shikhar Dhawan's Kargil Reminder, Bizarre 'Fantastic Tea' Reply From Shahid Afridi
Amid a tense standoff between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack, a war of words has erupted on social media between retired cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Shahid Afridi. The former Pakistan captain's controversial comments over the Pahalgam attack prompted a sharp reply from Dhawan. As the former India opener reminded Shahid Afridi of the past India-Pakistan confrontations, including the Kargil war, the ex-cricketer from across the border gave a bizarre response. Even former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria doubled down on Afridi, calling him a 'hypocrite'.
After the Pahalgam attack, in which 25 tourists and a Kashmiri local were killed by terrorists, Afridi appeared on a Pakistan television channel and blamed India's security forces, questioning their efficiency. Shikhar Dhawan took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and posted a blistering reply.
He wrote, " 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! (We defeated you in Kargil, too. You have already fallen so low; how much lower will you go? Instead of making baseless comments, it would be better if you focused on your country's development. We are very proud of our Indian Army. Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Jai Hind!)"
To which Afridi has now replied, " Chouro jeet haar ko, aao tumhey chae pilata hun Shikhar. #FantasticTea (Forget about wins and losses, I offer you tea Shikhar)".
Chouro jeet haar ko , aao tumhey chae pilata hun Shikhar . #FantasticTea https://t.co/ilEOepsVm0 pic.twitter.com/T45O8o2XUR
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 29, 2025
Former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria, who has been criticising his own government since the attack, launched a scathing attack at Afridi. He said: "Funny how someone who refuses to sit or eat with Hindus is suddenly inviting one for tea—didn't realize hypocrisy came with a tea service."
Funny how someone who refuses to sit or eat with Hindus is suddenly inviting one for tea—didn't realize hypocrisy came with a tea service. https://t.co/64jmu9InxI
— Danish Kaneria (@DanishKaneria61) April 29, 2025
Speaking to Samaa TV, Afridi 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 (You have an 800,000-strong army in Kashmir and still this happened. It means you are inefficient and useless if you can't provide security to the people)."
The terrorist attack in Pahalgam, blamed on Pakistan-backed terror outfits, is one of the deadliest in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack, and has triggered global condemnation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
OBC quota deadlock dominates politics in West Bengal; new list an appeasement move, says BJP
The deadlock over the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation continues to dominate politics in West Bengal with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership accusing the State government of 'appeasement politics' on Wednesday, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that'backwardness'wasthe only benchmark to decide OBC categories. Addressing the State Assembly while tabling the annual report of the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes for the financial year 2024-25,the Chief Minister had said on Tuesday that a commission set up by the government is holding a survey on 50 new subsections for inclusion in the category. The Calcutta High Court in May 2024 had struck down the OBC reservation awarded to 77 categories, highlighting a complete lack of legislative policy within the 2012 scheme to classify any group as OBC. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court. On March 19, 2025, the State government told the Supreme Court that it would complete the fresh OBC survey within three months. Since the fresh list of OBC reservation is not available, the admission to colleges in the State has not started almost a month after results of Higher Secondary Examinations have been declared. The State government on Tuesday also tabled in the Assembly an interim report on the new OBC list for reservations. 'One-sided benefits' Reacting to the developments, Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari took to social media and said, 'If this reservation list is not prepared with the intention of providing 'one-sided benefits' exclusively to Muslims, by deliberately depriving Hindus and other communities, then the sun rises in the west.' Meanwhile, State Education Minister Bratya Basu has assured that there will be no disruption in the academic calender due to the OBC reservation list.
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Sri Lankan Army commander in India to boost defence ties
New Delhi, June 11 (UNI) Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo arrived here on Wednesday on a four-day official visit aimed at enhancing bilateral military cooperation. This visit is set to enhance bilateral military cooperation and explore new avenues for collaboration, particularly in the areas of training and capability enhancement, a Defence Ministry statement said. It underscores the continued efforts of both nations to further strengthen and deepen their longstanding defence partnership. Lt Gen Rodrigo held a series of high-level meetings beginning with an in-depth interaction with Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army. Both the military leaders discussed wide ranging issues including aspects of bilateral defence cooperation and regional security concerns. Later, he was briefed on Operation Sindoor and India's security perspective. He was also briefed by other senior officers of the Indian Army on matters of mutual interest. Lt Gen Rodrigo met with Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff, Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh, Chief of Air Staff and Rajesh Kumar Singh, Defence Secretary. These meetings provided an opportunity for the exchange of views on broader defence and security issues, focusing on matters of mutual interests. He also planted a tree at the Manekshaw Centre, symbolising time-tested relation of Indian and Sri Lanka Army. On June 12, Lt Gen Rodrigo will visit Jaipur and meet Lt Gen Manjinder Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, South Western Command. The General Officer will grace the Passing Out Parade at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, as the Reviewing Officer on June 14. This visit will mark a poignant return to his alma mater, where he was commissioned in December 1990, with the 87th Course of the IMA-an experience that laid the foundation of his illustrious military career. His presence at the Academy will rekindle memories of his formative years, now brought full circle as he would review a new generation of officers. Adding a personal and emotional dimension to the ceremony, Brigadier RMSP Rathnayake of Sri Lanka Army, will also be in attendance to witness his son, Foreign Officer Cadet RMNL Rathnayake, being commissioned with the current course. This confluence of legacy and leadership underscores the enduring spirit of camaraderie and leadership connect between the two Armies. Lt Gen BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo's visit to India is marked by a series of productive engagements, aimed at furthering the defence relationship between Sri Lanka and India. The visit not only highlights the commitment of both nations to strengthening their military ties but also underscores their shared focus on regional security and peace. UNI RBE SSP
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
A S Dulat's new book explores betrayal, belief and Farooq's Kashmir
An Unlikely Friendship: The Chief Minister and the Spy Published by Juggernaut 289 pages ₹79 Anyone who knows A S Dulat will know that there cannot be a more unlikely spy: He is amiable, friendly, and operates on trust. His book about his friendship with one of Kashmir's tallest leaders, Farooq Abdullah, is as much a window into some of the most tumultuous and defining decades in the politics of the state as it is a gentle and non-judgemental appraisal of a complex and unpredictable political personality. Sheikh Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah have been the subject of many fascinating studies, including an outstanding biography of the Sheikh by Chitralekha Zutshi (though Mr Dulat differs with Zutshi on some facts and interpretations of events). The relationship between the father and son is important as it is part of Farooq's political inheritance: A mistrust of Delhi and a perennially thorny relationship with Pakistan which never forgave the father or the son for siding with India. The book explores Farooq's relationship with New Delhi under different dispensations. But on one point it is unequivocal — that he never, ever considered independence of Kashmir as a solution. The book describes his meeting with secessionist leader Yaseen Malik of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) at which Farooq lambasted him for violence against Kashmiris and about the JLKF's dreams of 'azaadi', telling him he was naive and living in a fool's paradise. Given this reality, the book argues, Delhi should have trusted Farooq unquestioningly — which it did not. In full knowledge that Farooq's succession had not been smooth and was challenged by his brother-in-law, Gul Mohammad Shah, in 1984, Delhi put its weight behind the Gul Shah faction of the National Conference, deputing Congress leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to support a coup against Farooq's government, dislodging him. There was a background to this, as there always is. But Mr Dulat notes regretfully that Kashmir ought to have been kept out of the kind of power politics that was in place elsewhere in India — it was too important to be trifled with. Farooq got the full-throated support of the Opposition. But it was, at the end of the day, the Opposition. He felt he had been betrayed twice over, Mr Dulat writes: Once by his family and then by the Congress led by Indira Gandhi, his extended family. Other betrayals followed. His right hand man, Saifuddin Soz, was working to undermine him by conducting a dialogue with the Kashmiri underground and the government. Rajiv Gandhi had little time for him, though the two had been good friends. The V P Singh years came and went but Farooq did not get his due. The problem was: No one knew whom to talk to in Kashmir. Dialogues with separatist leaders of the Shabir Shah variety were the flavour du jour. But Mr Dulat says he knew that the only currency that would work, both for Delhi and Srinagar, would be Farooq Abdullah. In 1993, P V Narasimha Rao's government installed the Department of Kashmir Affairs, headed by Rajesh Pilot. In 1994, the US changed its position, openly calling Kashmir disputed territory. Mr Dulat moved minor mountains to persuade the government to see reason and bring Farooq back in from the cold. This was done by making Farooq part of an all-party delegation to clarify to the world that no human rights violations were taking place in Kashmir as alleged by Pakistan. Farooq was superb. Not only did he speak as an Indian, he also challenged Pakistanis to speak to him in Kashmiri The 1996 Assembly elections in Kashmir were a turning point for the state and for Farooq himself — not the least because of kindly, understanding and benevolent statesmen in power in Delhi for however short a tenure, such as H D Deve Gowda and I K Gujral. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to power the Jammu & Kashmir Assembly passed a resolution seeking autonomy. Mr Dulat emphasised that the demand was for autonomy, not independence. At around this time, Farooq was made an offer that made his eyes sparkle. What if he were made vice-president of India? Vajpayee was agreeable, and things might have been different if that had happened, Mr Dulat says. It didn't and one more betrayal was added to the layer of mistrust. The National Conference lost the 2002 polls. By now, Omar Abdullah was set to replace Farooq. But as with the Sheikh and Farooq, Omar and Farooq too had their ups and downs.
