Shahid Afridi Blames Indian Army’s 'Inefficiency' For Pahalgam Attack: 'Naalayak, Nikkame Ho Tumlog'

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi accused the Indian army of a security failure that led to the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, south Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed on Tuesday.

In an interview with Samaa TV, Afridi remarked: "Patakha phat jaata hai wahaan par, Pakistan ne kiya (Even if a firecracker bursts there, they will blame it on Pakistan)."

Photo Credit: PTI

"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 (You have an 800,000-strong army in Kashmir and this still happened. It means you are inefficient and useless if you can't provide security to the people)."

On Tuesday, terrorists carried out one of the deadliest attacks in the Kashmir Valley since the 2019 Pulwama attack, which claimed 40 CRPF personnel.

At Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, attackers opened fire on civilians, killing at least 26 and injuring several others.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a faction of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility. The attack has been widely condemned globally.

Afridi also criticised the Indian media's coverage of the incident, saying: "Hairat hoti hai ki hamle ke ek ghante ke baad hi unka media Bollywood ban gaya. Khuda ke liye har kuch ko Bollywood mat banao (It's surprising that within an hour of the attack, their media turned into Bollywood. For God's sake, don't make everything Bollywood)."

"Main hairaan ho gaya, balki main enjoy kar raha tha jis tarah ki woh baatein kar rahe the (I was astonished, in fact, I was enjoying the way they were talking)."

"Main keh raha tha dekho inki soch, yeh apne aap ko padhe likhe log kehte hain (I was saying, look at their thinking, and they call themselves educated people)."

Without naming individuals, Afridi also took aim at members of the Indian cricket community for attributing the attack to Pakistan, stating: "Do cricketers jo India se itni cricket khele hue hain. Ambassadors reh chuke hain, top cricketers reh chuke hain unki taraf se direct Pakistan (There are two cricketers who have played so much cricket for India. They have been ambassadors and top cricketers, yet they directly blame Pakistan)."