Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi shifts blame for the Pahalgam terror attack onto Indian forces, sparking outrage with his controversial remarks on national security and media coverage.
April 27, 2025: Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has courted controversy by blaming the Indian Army for what he termed a “security lapse” during the recent Pahalgam terror attack, where 26 civilians, including a Nepali citizen, were gunned down by terrorists.
Speaking to Samaa TV, Afridi dismissed accusations of Pakistan’s involvement, sarcastically remarking, “Patakha phat jaata hai wahaan par, Pakistan ne kiya (Even if a firecracker bursts there, they blame Pakistan).”
He went on to criticize the Indian military, saying, “You have an 8 lakh-strong army in Kashmir and yet such an incident happened. It only proves you are inefficient and useless (‘nalayak aur nikamme’) if you can’t even protect civilians.”
The April 22 attack, carried out at the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, is one of the deadliest in Kashmir since Pulwama in 2019. Terror group The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the massacre.
Afridi didn’t stop there. He took a swipe at Indian media, accusing it of dramatizing the tragedy. “Within an hour of the attack, their media turned it into a Bollywood production. For God’s sake, don’t turn everything into Bollywood,” he mocked.
Though he refrained from naming individuals, Afridi hinted at his displeasure with Indian cricketers who openly blamed Pakistan after the attack.
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“Two cricketers, who were top ambassadors of India, pointed fingers at Pakistan without evidence,” Afridi said, expressing his dismay over what he called “prejudice and misplaced narratives.”
His comments have sparked anger and disbelief across India, coming at a time when global sympathy has been pouring in for the victims of the brutal Pahalgam assault.
The Pahalgam terror attack has already drawn international condemnation, and Afridi’s provocative remarks risk further straining ties between India and Pakistan amid an already volatile situation.
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Shahid Afridi, Pahalgam terror attack, Kashmir attack, India-Pakistan tensions, Indian Army, TRF Lashkar-e-Taiba, Afridi controversy, Bollywood media, terrorism in Kashmir, cricket and politics