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Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Row over Afridi's appearance at Dubai Cusat alumni event, univ denies links
Kochi: The participation of Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul in an inter-collegiate dance event organised by an alumni association of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) in Dubai on May 25 has sparked outrage. The association — Cochin University BTech Alumni Association (CUBAA), UAE — issued an apology, saying the incident was not intentional, after a video of Afridi being welcomed at the event went viral. The event was held at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD). Cusat, however, said it had no affiliation, association or connection with the organisation, CUBAA UAE. It said in a statement that its official alumni organisation was the Cusat Alumni Network (CAN) and it was not aware of the programme organised in Dubai. In the video, the crowd can be seen cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname "Boom Boom" as he addressed the gathering. Several outfits affiliated with the Sangh Parivar criticised the organisers for inviting Afridi to the event. Afridi had made several anti-India remarks, particularly in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack . Former BJP state president K Surendran accused the organisers of disrespecting Indians who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack. "If not traitors, what else can you call the Malayali organisation that brought Pakistani cricketers for a celebration in Dubai," he said in a Facebook post. ABVP has called for the cancellation of the passports of CUBAA UAE office-bearers and submitted complaints to the Prime Minister and the ministry of external affairs. ABVP Kerala state secretary EU Eswaraprasad said Afridi had expressed support for terrorist groups hostile to India. "The alumni association's approach is suspicious and the event, held in the presence of anti-India forces, undermined the martyrdom of Pahalgam victims and humiliated India globally," he said. The event organisers, meanwhile, released a detailed statement, saying the appearance of the Pakistani cricketers was entirely unplanned. Without naming Afridi, they said PAD was booked for the second season of their inter-collegiate dance competition well before the escalation of India-Pakistan tensions. The first season was also organised at the venue last year, due to its affordability, they said in a statement. "At the time of our event, diplomatic tensions had already eased. Due to the unavailability of an alternative venue at short notice, we proceeded with the programme as scheduled at PAD," it added. CUBAA representatives also claimed that the cricketers had come to the auditorium for another event on the day. "As our programme was concluding, the cricketers made an unannounced and unsolicited appearance... We would like to categorically state that no member of our organising team, officials or alumni invited them or coordinated this appearance. The official schedule of the event we published, which does not include these individuals as guests, supports this," they said. The organisers further said they could not manage the crowd appropriately as the cricketers' visit was a surprise. "We regret any confusion or inconvenience caused to attendees, participants or supporters due to this unplanned development. We deeply regret any hurt or offence our actions may have caused. It was never our intention, and we sincerely apologise to those affected," they added.
New Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Kerala alumni association apologies following social media outrage for welcoming Shahid Afridi
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Kerala expatriate community in Dubai, which is facing intense online backlash over a warm welcome extended to Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi in a recent programme, has apologised for the incident and clarified that it was not intentional. The Cochin University Btech Alumni Association (CUBAA), UAE, has been under attack for some days after a video, showcasing Afridi being welcomed enthusiastically during a recent programme organised by them in Dubai, went viral on social media handles. In the video, it can be seen that the crowd cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname "boom boom" when he addressed the gathering. In his brief address, the cricketer was seen praising Kerala and its cuisines. The warm hospitality, extended to the Pakistan cricketer, didn't go well with a large number of netizens and right wing supporters. They attacked the CUBAA office-bearers, citing the Pakistan cricketer's recent controversial remarks against India and its Army in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack. When a social media user described the act as "shameful", another netizen said "they are fetting someone who has been trash-talking our country." As the incident triggered a widespread row, the CUBAA office-bearers, on Friday came out with an Instagram post expressing apology over the incident and said it was not intentional. Without naming Afridi, they said they had booked Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) as a venue of the second season of an inter-collegiate dance competition much before the tension between India and Pakistan. The same venue was used for the first season of the event last year also due to its affordability, the statement said. "At the time of our event, the diplomatic tensions had already eased. Due to the unavailability of an alternative venue on short notice, we proceeded with the programme as scheduled at PAD Dubai," they said. The CUBAA representatives further said cricketers, including Afridi, came to the auditorium for another event on the same day when their programme was held on May 25.
The Hindu
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Alumni association of Kerala college apologises after backlash over hosting Shahid Afridi in Dubai
A Kerala expatriate community in Dubai, which is facing intense online backlash over a warm welcome extended to Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi in a recent programme, has apologised for the incident and clarified that it was not intentional. The Cochin University Btech Alumni Association (CUBAA), UAE, has been under attack for some days after a video, showcasing Afridi being welcomed enthusiastically during a recent programme organised by them in Dubai, went viral on social media handles. In the video, it can be seen that the crowd cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname "boom boom" when he addressed the gathering. In his brief address, the cricketer was seen praising Kerala and its cuisines. Anti-India comments The warm hospitality extended to the Pakistan cricketer didn't go well with a large number of netizens and right-wing supporters. They attacked the CUBAA office-bearers, citing the Pakistan cricketer's recent controversial remarks against India and its Army in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack. When a social media user described the act as "shameful", another netizen said "they are fetting someone who has been trash-talking our country." 'Not intentional' As the incident triggered a widespread row, the CUBAA office-bearers, on Friday (May 30, 2025) came out with an Instagram post expressing apology over the incident and said it was not intentional. Without naming Afridi, they said they had booked Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) as a venue of the second season of an inter-collegiate dance competition much before the tension between India and Pakistan. The same venue was used for the first season of the event last year also due to its affordability, the statement said. "At the time of our event, the diplomatic tensions had already eased. Due to the unavailability of an alternative venue on short notice, we proceeded with the programme as scheduled at PAD Dubai," they said. Unannounced appearance The CUBAA representatives further said cricketers, including Afridi, came to the auditorium for another event on the same day when their programme was held on May 25. As the Kerala community's programme was concluding, these cricketers made an "unannounced and unsolicited appearance" at their event, which was held in the same auditorium, they further said. "We would like to categorically state that no member of our organising team, officials or alumni members invited them nor coordinated this appearance. Our officially published event schedule, which does not include these individuals as guests, further supports this," the organisers said. They further said as their visit was a surprise, they were unable to manage the crowd response appropriately in that short span of time. "We regret any confusion or inconvenience caused to attendees, participants, or supporters due to this unplanned development. We deeply regret any hurt or offense our actions may have caused. It was never our intention, and we sincerely apologise to those affected," they said. The expatriate community also reiterated their commitment to maintaining the cultural and inclusive spirit of our country.
News18
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Dubai's Kerala Expats Say Afridi, Gul Gate-Crashed Event: ‘Couldn't Ask Them To Leave'
Last Updated: Cochin University alumni group in Dubai says it did not invite former Pakistan cricketers, who arrived at the event without prior notice. The Cochin University BTech Alumni Association (CUBAA) has clarified that former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul appeared uninvited at their cultural event in Dubai last week, saying the organisers were caught off guard and 'couldn't ask them to leave." The cricketers showed up at Ormachuvadukal Season 2, an inter-collegiate dance competition hosted by CUBAA at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) on May 25. The group said their presence was unsolicited and came just as the event was winding up. In viral videos from the event, Afridi can be seen stepping on stage to loud cheers and chants of 'Boom Boom," his nickname from his playing days. The 47-year-old responded to the crowd saying, 'Hogaya Boom Boom," prompting further applause. Afridi's appearance has drawn backlash online, particularly because it comes weeks after he made disparaging remarks about India following the Pahalgam terror attack. Afridi has frequently criticised India and made politically loaded statements, especially on Kashmir. CUBAA has maintained that the event was entirely cultural in nature and that no political undertone was intended. 'We would like to formally address recent concerns… These cricketers made an unannounced and unsolicited appearance at our event," the organisers said in a statement. After the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent civilians, Shahid Afridi appeared on Pakistani television and blamed Indian security forces, questioning their competence. 'You have an 800,000-strong army in Kashmir and this still happened. It means you are inefficient and useless if you can't provide security to the people," he said. Following India's precision strikes on Pakistani military sites during Operation Sindoor, Afridi was also seen leading a car rally in Pakistan, falsely projecting the developments as a victory for his country. First Published: May 31, 2025, 15:43 IST
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul were 'not invited': Kerala community in Dubai facing backlash issues statement
After a massive social media outrage over a viral video showing former Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul receiving a warm reception from the Kerala community at an event in Dubai, the organisers have issued a clarification expressing 'deep regret' and offering an apology. The Cochin University Alumni Association (CUBAA), which organised the event, clarified that Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were not invited by them. According to CUBAA, the ex-cricketers were at the venue on the same day for an entirely different event — a Guinness World Record attempt for the Largest UAE Flag made with Handprints. This detail was also mentioned in a Gulf News report published on May 27, 2025. The controversy stems from the Ormachuvadukal Season 2 inter-collegiate dance competition, held on May 25, 2025, at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD). Organised by the CUBAA, the event drew criticism after a video went viral showing Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul being warmly received by the audience, Mathrubhumi reported. As Afridi arrived, the community members paused their cultural performance and broke into chants of 'Boom Boom,' referring to the cricketer's famous nickname. Afridi responded by saying, 'Hogaya Boom Boom". The CUBAA has issued a formal clarification following backlash over the presence of Pakistani cricketers. In its statement titled 'Unplanned Appearance at Our Recent Event', CUBAA clarified that neither Afridi nor Gul were invited by the organisers. According to the organisers, Afridi and Gul made an unannounced and unsolicited appearance at the end of the event. 'No member of our team, officials, or alumni had invited them or coordinated this appearance. Our official event schedule does not list them as guests,' CUBAA said, adding that the brief encounter with the cricketers occurred too suddenly for the organisers to restrict access or control the crowd response. 'We deeply regret any confusion or hurt caused,' the statement concluded. 'It was never our intention to cause offense, and we sincerely apologize to anyone affected. We remain committed to upholding the cultural and inclusive values of our country.' Shahid Afridi has maintained a strong anti-India stance during the recent military and diplomatic tensions between the two nations. While speaking on Pakistan's Samaa TV in April, Afridi said even 'if a firecracker were to burst in India, fingers will always be pointed at Pakistan". He went further, blaming the Pahalgam terror attack on a failure by Indian armed forces, saying, '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 this still happened. It means you are inefficient and useless if you can't provide security to the people).' Afridi also mocked Indian media's coverage of the incident, likening it to a Bollywood production, and appeared to take a veiled jab at Indian cricketers for accusing Pakistan of involvement in the attack. The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the banned Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack. The clip, shared by an X handle with the caption, 'What a shame!! - Desperate Keralites welcome this Anti-India Paki with 'Boom Boom' at an event in Dubai, especially after Pahalgam terror attack and his venomous stand against India,' quickly went viral. Given the timing and Afridi's controversial remarks, the community's gesture drew sharp criticism online. One user reacted to the video saying, 'Patriotism gone for a a shame. Expected better from them (Kerala community)." Another wrote, 'How much Disloyal can you be to your nation…learn from the most literate people… Disgraceful!" A third user questioned, 'Don't they have anyone from India origin!! Shame to see these happen."
