A photo of Pakistan cricket team’s former captain, Shahid Afridi has created a stir on social media, based on which the cricketer is being accused of being a ‘supporter of Israel’.
In a viral photo, Afridi can be seen allegedly participating in a protest organised by an Israel-supporting organization.
Users are claiming that Shahid Afridi was photographed in Manchester with officials of the Zionist organization ‘Northwest Friends of Israel’ in a protest organized for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas.
The photo was posted by the official X account of ‘Northwest Friends of Israel’.
The post stated, “Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi attended and expressed support for our protest for the recovery of Israeli hostages in Manchester on Sunday. Shahid Afridi is pictured with Rafi Bloom, the co-chairperson of the organization and Bernie Yaffe, the deputy chairperson.”
The post from the official account of the Israeli organization tagged Afridi and thanked him for his support.
A storm was unleashed on social media with many people criticizing the cricketer.
Many users started showering Shahid Afridi with various titles like ‘Jewish agent’, ‘friend of Israel’, and ‘anti-Palestinian’, while some users even called him a ‘traitor’.
After this controversy, Shahid Afridi released an explanation for the viral picture.
Taking to his official ‘X’ account, he wrote: “Imagine strolling down a street in Manchester (UK) and so-called fans approach you for a selfie. You oblige, and moments later, they upload it as some form of Zionist endorsement. Unbelievable! Please don’t believe everything that is uploaded.”
“Seeing innocent lives in Palestine suffer is truly heartbreaking. Thus, any photo or association shared by Manchester does not reflect my support for any situation where human lives are at stake. I take pictures with fans from all over the globe, and this situation was no different. I pray for peace, I pray for an end to this war, I pray for freedom.”
Many social media users are pointing out that Shahid Afridi went to Manchester two weeks ago where various people took pictures with him on the way.
Over the years, Afridi has multiple times expressed support for Palestine, including hoisting a Palestinian flag on his house.
