Shahid Afridi sparks fresh row in Asia Cup handshake controversy, accuses India of playing Hindu-Muslim card

Asia Cup Handshake Controversy:  Amid the controversy that arose after the India-Pakistan match in Asia Cup 2025, former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has launched a scathing attack on the central government. Afridi alleged that the Indian government plays the 'Hindu-Muslim card' to remain in power. He also linked the matter of Indian players not shaking hands with the Pakistan team to this politics.

Afridi said on a Pakistani news channel that this government repeatedly does politics by resorting to religion and this spreads hatred in the society. He called it a very dangerous mentality and said that as long as the BJP is in power, this kind of politics will continue.

Praise for Rahul Gandhi

Interestingly, along with attacking India, Afridi praised Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. He said that Rahul Gandhi's thinking is positive and he wants to improve relations between all countries and society through dialogue. Afridi claimed that Rahul Gandhi's thinking will take the whole world along.

Refused to shake hands with players

This statement has come at a time when Indian players clearly refused to shake hands with Pakistani players after the match between India and Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025. This incident happened after the group stage match on Sunday, which further increased the tension between the two countries. Pakistan's media raised this issue on a large scale and presented the attitude of Indian players by linking it to politics.

A topic of discussion on social media as well 

This statement of Afridi has also become a topic of discussion on social media. Indian fans strongly criticized Afridi's comment calling it anti-India, while his statement got support in Pakistan. Cricket analysts say that looking at this incident on the field from a political perspective rather than a sportsmanship can further increase tensions between the two countries.