Shikhar Dhawan hits back at Shahid Afridi’s critique of Indian Army; Pakani cricketer responds with cryptic low-blow

The horrors that unfolded in a matter of minutes in Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadow in the Kashmir Valley on April 22, will live on in infamy for years to come. Armed terrors, later revealed to be from The Resance Front (TRF), part of the banned Pakan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed 26 innocent lives. Shikhar Dhawan and Shahid Afridi engage in heated war of words over latter’s comments on the Indian Army in context of Pahalgam(Photos: Instagram/shikhardofficial, safridiofficial) India since, has orchestrated a multi-pronged diplomatic lockdown which includes measures like suspending the Indus water treaty and banning 14 categories of visas for Pakani nationals. It goes without saying, that the country’s jolted sentiments over the terror attack, too are coming out virtually the minute. As the world grieves with India, earlier this week, former Pakani cricketer Shahid Afridi, during an appearance on a Pakani news channel, unabashedly shared his grossly offensive take on not only the attack itself, but also the Indian Army’s apparent inability to protect the people of Kashmir: He 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”. This and several other hurtful remarks passed casually, of course received the ire of the internet. But cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, had no qualms in publicly taking on Shahid. Sharing the link of an article tracing Shahid’s take on the situation, Shikhar’s X post read, “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!”. Adding fuel to fire, Shahid’s response was rather cryptic. Sharing a picture of himself with tea, Shahid wrote, “Chouro jeet haar ko, aao tumhey chae pilata hun Shikhar”. For those that aren’t looped in, this ‘jab’ is being seen many as a reference to the unfortunate 2019 incident when Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured the Pakani Air Force after his plane was downed within Pakani territory. A video of his interrogation at the time had gone viral, in which Abhinandan can be seen having a cup of tea. Shikhar is yet to respond.