Former Pakistan cricket team stars seem to be making controversial remarks a habit. After Kamran Akmal made a controversial and racist ‘Sikh’ joke on Indian cricket team star Arshdeep Singh, sparking major controversy, now another former Pakistan player Ijaz Ahmed has made an unsavoury comment. Ahmed, who played 60 Tests and 250 ODIs for Pakistan, made his comments on the Pathan community in Pakistan. He was speaking on Pakistan cricket and the discussion panel had Akmal too. The comments were not well received by members of the Pakistan cricket community.
"Look at the [Pakistan] cricket team now, 80% of it has gone to remote areas like KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). If you select a team right now, 6-8 players are Pathans, who do not have education. They wake up in the morning to go for namaz with their relatives or brothers and return back, and then they don't leave their homes after that. When there is pressure on them [during matches], they cannot handle it," Ijaz Ahmed said on ARY News.
I hope this doesn't turn into Pashtun vs Punjabis.
Shame on Ijaz Ahmed for spewing this filth.
pic.twitter.com/7tkOuj9nZK— M (@anngrypakiistan) June 10, 2024
The comment was met with string reaction from Pakistan. Salman Iqbal, founder and CEO of ARY DIGITAL Network, distanced himself from the remark.
"What was said at Kashif Abbasi's show by Ijaz ahmed is not acceptable by ARY management and me personally . I have a huge respect for the Pakhtun community and all the communities we have in Pakistan . I think that Ijaz ahmed should appologise to the pakhtun community on his statement," he wrote on X.
What was said at Kashif Abbasi's show by Ijaz ahmed is not acceptable by ARY management and me personally . I have a huge respect for the Pakhtun community and all the communities we have in Pakistan . I think that Ijaz ahmed should appologise to the pakhtun community on his…
— Salman Iqbal ARY (@Salman_ARY) June 11, 2024
Former Pakistan player Junaid Khan said: "Ijaz Ahmed should apologise."
Junaid Khan requests Ijaz Ahmed to apologize to the Pushtoon community for his inappropriate comments.#Cricket | #Pakistan | #JunaidKhan | #IjazAhmed | #T20WorldCup | #Pushtoons | #KhyberPakhtunkhwapic.twitter.com/cY9KlEUl4v
— Khel Shel (@khelshel) June 11, 2024
The social media was full of other strong reaction too.
Pakistan's defeat against India has also sparked comments that border on ethnic discrimination. Former Pakistani player Ijaz Ahmed, speaking on national television, attributed the loss to the Pashtun players, stating, eighty percent of team players are Pashtuns, most of them are… pic.twitter.com/1Iwo4oxnJc
— Rahman Bunairee (@RahmanBunairee) June 10, 2024
Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign is hanging in balance, with the team securing only one win in three Group A matches so far.