Shahid Afridi clashes with Qasim Suri on social media

A social media brawl took place between former cricketer Shahid Afridi and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Qasim Khan Suri, over the former power hitter's remarks about increasing political polarisation in the country.

On December 7, Afridi appeared on a Geo News podcast with Mubashir Hashmi, where he stated that he wanted to enter politics because he liked one political party [PTI]. "But that changed around 2020 or 2021. I know if I say something here, afterwards people on social media will stoop to low levels of disrespect. People on social media have become so disrespectful and morally depraved even though they are so-called educated, but the reality is these poor people have no manners."

He went on to say that he believed that some things shouldn't have happened. "Like Imran bhai's selection of his leaders could have been better. Imran bhai's Sehat Card Initiative was one of his best accomplishments. Allah gives you the power to rule over the people, and He takes it away. If PTI lost power in 2022, they should've become a strong opposition in the parliament because a match is played within a ground, not outside. They would have been back in power within a year or two because the public was with PTI, and the judiciary and establishment were with them," remarked Shahid Afridi in the podcast.

The irony was lost when the former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri, apparently did not like the "manners" comment by Shahid Afridi and wrote on X: "The pet's owner determines the length of a pet's leash."

Suri had posted an image by Siasat.pk which had Shahid Afridi's quote. But the PTI leader, who is in self-imposed exile, did not stop there. 

Siasat. pk had posted another quote by Shahid Afridi where he remarked: "It is a matter of running the country, everyone sits, and we carry the country forward. If you have the intention, then carry the country forward, but if my intention is that I am absolutely perfect and the person in front of me is a thief, a robber, then it doesn't work."

Suri reacted to Afridi's remarks on X by writing, "Show your cards, don't show your jackasses," with the hashtag ""#Askariproduct."

Qasim Khan Suri's official page on X (formerly Twitter) regularly engages with and tweets Siasat. pk's posts.

After Suri's comment, comedian Shafaat Ali also jumped in, writing: "Writing donkeys in such bold letters right above Qasim Suri's  picture is a bad practice. The graphic has been made in such a way that if you look at Qasim bhai's picture, you will see donkey written on top. This is inappropriate. Change it."

Shahid Afridi quoted Shafaat's tweet to say: "Never wrestle with a pig because you'll both get dirty and the pig likes it. - George Bernard Shaw"