 "Shahid Afridi called 'joker' by Owaisi over criticism of Indian Army: 'Do not mention such jokers'")
Indian politician and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has hit back at former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi for questioning the Indian Army. Former all-rounder Afridi had labelled the Indian Army as "useless" for failing to protect its people during the Pahalgam terror attack and criticised the Indians for pointing fingers at Pakistan without any evidence.
At least 26 people lost their lives in the Pahalgam terror attack, which took place last week, leading to a rise in tension between India and Pakistan. India have enforced numerous non-military restrictions on Pakistan since the attack, including the indefinite suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
Afridi called joker by Owaisi
Asked about Afridi criticising the Indian Army and the citizens of the country, Owaisi said he doesn’t want to talk about “jokers”.
“Who is he? Do not mention the names of such jokers in front of me. Forget about these people,” Owaisi said while speaking to the media.
The MP from Hyderabad, Owaisi, also said Pakistan should be put back on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. Pakistan was on the FATF grey list from June 2018 to October 2022.
The FATF is an international body that looks after money laundering and terrorist financing. The countries that fail to implement sufficient safeguards are put on their black and grey lists.
“It is my demand that Pakistan must be placed back on the FATF grey list. They are financing terrorism with illegal money, so it is necessary to put Pakistan back on the FATF grey list. Under international law, we can impose a naval and air force blockade. Under Article 51 of the United Nations, the right to self-defence is granted. In the Indian Constitution, Article 355 states that if there is external aggression against any state, it is the government’s responsibility to counter it,” the AIMIM chief said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWhile criticising India, Afridi had said that the country has a habit of blaming Pakistan for any mishap within its boundaries.
“Even if a cracker bursts in India, they blame it on Pakistan. You have an 8 lakh-strong Army in Kashmir, yet this happened. This means you are useless, not being able to provide security to people,” Afridi told Samaa TV.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan has also reacted to Afridi’s comments, reminding him of the Kargil war and asking him to focus on his own country.
“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! (We beat you in Kargil. Already you guys have stooped so low, how further can you go? Instead of passing comments, focus on improving the condition of your own country. We are proud of Indian Army),” Dhawan wrote on X.
The Pahalgam terror attack was the biggest attack in India since the 2019 Pulwama strike which resulted in death of 40 CRPF jawans.
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