A video of former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi praising Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is going viral on social media.
The clip, taken from a sports discussion programme in Pakistan, shows Afridi seated with a male and a female anchor. He says: “Yeh jo government (Indian govt) hai, baar baar main keh raha hoon, jo hamesha mazhab card khelti hai, Muslim-Hindu card khelti hai apne aap ko power mein lane ke liye, yeh bohot hi ganda kisam ka mindset hai, ganda kisam ka.”
This roughly translates to, “This government (Indian govt), which repeatedly plays the religion card, the Muslim-Hindu card, to come into power, has a very dirty kind of mindset, a truly dirty mindset.”
He further said, “Yeh us waqt tak rahega jab tak inke bade yeh hi hain.”
Which roughly translates to, “This will continue as long as this leadership remains in place.” Afridi then goes on to praise Rahul Gandhi, “Jaise Rahul Gandhi ki agar main baat karoon, Rahul Gandhi bohot positive mindset wala aadmi hai.” Which roughly translates to, “If I talk about Rahul Gandhi, he is a man with a very positive mindset.”
“Dialogues ke zariye woh chalna chahta hai duniya ke saath,” he added.
Which roughly translates to, “He wants to move forward with the world through dialogue.”
Taking a veiled dig at PM Modi Afridi said,”Is one Israel not enough that you are trying to become another Israel?”
BJP Reacts
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla has reacted to the viral video. “After Hafiz Saeed now Shahid Afridi ( Terror apologist & India hater ) praises Rahul Gandhi… Not surprised! Everyone who hates India finds an ally in Rahul Gandhi & Congress,” he said on X.
“From Soros to Shahid … INC = Islamabad National Congress Cong Pak Yaarana is very old Art 370 to Surgical strike to clean chit on 26/11 & Pulwama and Pahalgam – Congress echoes Pakistan’s narrative always,” he added.
India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage match of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
