The video of bjp leaders Jay Shah and anurag thakur laughing and engaging warmly with former Pakistani cricketer shahid Afridi has stirred a storm online — and for good reason. Afridi is not just a sportsman; he is a public figure who has repeatedly made inflammatory, anti-India statements, especially on Kashmir. He has openly called kashmir “ours” and supported the Pakistani military’s stance on the issue. Naturally, when an indian expresses outrage at such comments, it’s out of deep national sentiment. But when senior political figures from the ruling party are seen casually fraternizing with him, that very sentiment feels betrayed and dismissed as selective.
This isn't about cricket or diplomacy anymore — it's about consistency and integrity. Leaders who project themselves as guardians of national pride and aggressive voices on nationalism can’t afford to send mixed signals. Calling Afridi a "terror sympathiser" isn’t hyperbole, considering his public glorification of Pakistan's military establishment and its stance on Kashmir. If an ordinary indian were seen praising Afridi or echoing his sentiments, they’d likely face backlash or even legal scrutiny. Yet here, under the guise of "cricket diplomacy," bjp leaders laugh with the same man who spews venom against India. The hypocrisy is glaring — patriotism cannot be applied selectively based on convenience or personal optics.
This incident underscores a broader frustration many indians feel — that national integrity has become more of a costume, donned when politically useful and discarded when inconvenient. people are tired of hollow slogans and token gestures. Real nationalism isn’t performative; it’s consistent. If shahid Afridi is truly seen as a symbol of hostility and disrespect towards India, then the normalization of ties with him by top political figures sends a damaging message. It tells citizens that rules differ for the powerful, and that emotional appeals to patriotism are often just tools for mobilization, not principles to live by.
This isn't about cricket or diplomacy anymore — it's about consistency and integrity. Leaders who project themselves as guardians of national pride and aggressive voices on nationalism can’t afford to send mixed signals. Calling Afridi a "terror sympathiser" isn’t hyperbole, considering his public glorification of Pakistan's military establishment and its stance on Kashmir. If an ordinary indian were seen praising Afridi or echoing his sentiments, they’d likely face backlash or even legal scrutiny. Yet here, under the guise of "cricket diplomacy," bjp leaders laugh with the same man who spews venom against India. The hypocrisy is glaring — patriotism cannot be applied selectively based on convenience or personal optics.
This incident underscores a broader frustration many indians feel — that national integrity has become more of a costume, donned when politically useful and discarded when inconvenient. people are tired of hollow slogans and token gestures. Real nationalism isn’t performative; it’s consistent. If shahid Afridi is truly seen as a symbol of hostility and disrespect towards India, then the normalization of ties with him by top political figures sends a damaging message. It tells citizens that rules differ for the powerful, and that emotional appeals to patriotism are often just tools for mobilization, not principles to live by.
click and follow Indiaherald WhatsApp channel