My Opinion

The handshake controversy at Sunday’s India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup has riled both Pakistan Cricket Board and its former cricketers. On Pakistani news channels, some of their former players openly abused Indian players for not shaking hands with Pakistanis after the match.
Former Pakistan cricket captain Mohammed Yousuf went to the extent of using a cuss word against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav. He used the expletive ‘suar’ (pig). He used this word twice on a TV show, as other panellists and the anchor laughed.
Mohammed Yousuf also demanded that Pakistan Cricket Board should boycott Indian cricket commentators.
It is interesting to note that Mohammed Yousuf is a Christian turned Muslim. His original name was Yousuf Yohana and he changed it to Mohammed Yousuf after converting to Islam. Religion may be his personal choice, but fingers will be raised at him for abusing the Indian captain.
When he was a Christian, Yousuf Yohana used to complain that he faced religious discrimination inside the dressing room and his mates used to abuse him. The same man is abusing the Indian captain now.
Another former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi blamed Prime Minister Modi for what happened at the match. Afridi alleged that Modi and his party BJP had been inciting people in the name of religion and at least, Rahul Gandhi was better than Modi. Afridi alleged, Modi wants to convert India into another Israel, and so long as Modi is in power, India-Pakistan relations will never improve.
Mohammed Yousuf crossed all limits of decency and Shahid Afridi also did the same.
Afridi should ask his own government why Imran Khan, who brought laurels for Pakistan in international cricket, is rotting in jail? When will Pakistan release its most famous cricketer from jail?
Shahid Afridi should ask Army Chief Asim Munir why he sent terrorists to kill innocent Indian citizens in cold blood?
Afridi should ask Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar why he wept when his entire family was killed during Operation Sindoor? Why didn’t Masood Azhar shun terrorism?
Afridi must know, Operation Sindoor will continue so long as terrorists are given a free hand by the Pakistani rulers. He must watch the video of Jaish commander Masood Ilias Kashmiri lamenting the death of Masood Azhar’s family members in the Bahawalpur air strike.
The Jaish commander was addressing a huge rally of several thousand people. He admitted that family members of Jaish chief were blown to bits in the Indian air strike on Jaish headquarters in Bahawalpur.

Shocker to Pak: America can’t be the mediator

On one hand, Pakistan’s ex-cricketers and terrorists are spewing venom, but on the other hand, Pakistan government is eager for starting talks with India. It has sought America’s help in initiating talks with India. Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar, a close associate of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, said in an interview to Al Jazeera TV channel on Tuesday that Pakistan was willing for talks, but India is unwilling.
He said, Pakistan sought US help, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clearly told him that India has told the US, Americans should stay off from this bilateral issue, because India does not want any third party mediation.
Ishaq Dar’s revelation has come at a time when Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif is preparing to go to New York to address the UN General Assembly. Shahbaz Sharif is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump and there are reports that Pakistan army chief Asif Munir will also be present.
Both of them are trying to their best to appease Donald Trump, because of a bi-partisan bill that has come up in the US Congress for imposing sanctions against Pakistani generals and officials for human rights violations. Asim Munir and Shahbaz Sharif are trying their best to block this sanction.
There is possibility of a US-Pak deal on giving America its share in the world’s biggest Reko Diq copper-gold mine in Baluchistan. Already, Canadian, Finnish, Japanese and American companies are trying to develop this copper and gold mine and Trump wants his cut.
President Donald Trump has himself admitted that he had offered to mediate on Kashmir issue while talking to Prime Minister Modi, who flatly refused any mediation.
Trump had then said, ‘Modi is a tough man’. Modi told him that we are capable of solving our problems, but Pakistan had been shamelessly seeking American mediation.
The Trump administration is trying to keep Pakistan in good humour. Different people are citing various reasons. Some say, Trump’s family has done a big crypto currency deal with Pakistan, while some others say, the US is eyeing Pakistan’s copper and gold mines.
Trump had claimed a few days ago that the US would explore oil in Pakistan. Some of the speculations could be true, because already there are indications of a deal between the US and Pakistan.
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