Kerala assn sorry after ‘Afridi welcome’ flak

A Kerala expatriate community in Dubai, which is facing intense online backlash over a warm welcome extended to Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi in a recent programme, has apologised for the incident and clarified that it was not intentional.

The Cochin University Btech Alumni Association (CUBAA), UAE, has been under attack for some days after a video, showcasing Afridi being welcomed enthusiastically during a recent programme organised by them in Dubai, went viral on social media handles. In the video, it can be seen that the crowd cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname “boom boom” when he addressed the gathering. In his brief address, the cricketer was seen praising Kerala and its cuisines.

The warm hospitality, extended to the Pakistan cricketer, didn’t go well with a large number of netizens and right wing supporters.

They attacked the CUBAA office-bearers, citing the Pakistan cricketer’s recent controversial remarks against India and its Army in connection with the Pahalgam terror attack. A social media user described the act as “shameful”, another netizen said, “they are fetting someone who has been trash-talking our country.”

As the incident triggered a widespread row, the CUBAA office-bearers, on Friday came out with an Instagram post expressing apology over the incident and said it was not intentional. They said they had booked Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) as a venue of the second season of an inter-collegiate dance competition much before the tension between India and Pakistan.