Danish Kaneria, Pakistan’s highest wicket-taking spinner and former cricket player, alleged serious accusations against former captain Shahid Afridi. Responding to a post on X, Danish accused Shahid Afridi of intense extremism and discrimination. This discrimination eventually led to the destruction of his career.
Serious Allegations against Shahid Afridi
The former Pakistani right-arm leg spinner shared his views on X, stating, “He has consistently aligned himself with extremist views. In my opinion, he should not be given a platform on Indian television or within the country. Additionally, he tried to persuade me to convert to Islam and declined to share a meal with me, which I found deeply disrespectful.”
Amid raised tension among India-Pakistan, influential people are presenting their stance, standing with or against the Pahalgam attack. Similarly, Danish shared his resentment towards Captain Shahid Afridi exercising discrimination towards minorities. During the Congressional Briefing on ‘Plight of minorities in Pakistan’, Kaneria stated, “I did not get equal values, respect in Pakistan”.
The former player, Danish, shared that he experienced discrimination that exists in Pakistan towards minorities. Danish is the second Hindu to feature in the Pakistani cricket team after Anil Dalpat. He added that, “Today, we all gathered here and expressed how we all faced discrimination and raised our voices. I also faced discrimination in Pakistan, and my career was destroyed”.
Danish Kaneria faced a lifetime ban from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) due to spot fixing allegations. The player filed an appeal against the Board’s decision in 2013, however, the ECB rejected the appeal, stating,
“We note, with regret, that Mr. Kaneria has neither made any admission of guilt nor expressed any remorse for his corrupt actions, despite the weight of evidence against him.”
In the end, after continuously denying his guilt, Kaneria finally admitted his involvement in match-fixing.
Danish Kaneria voiced against discrimination today to highlight the long-standing bias and unequal treatment. He faced discrimination as a minority in Pakistan, particularly under former captain Shahid Afridi.
By speaking now, amid rising attention on minority rights and regional tensions, Kaneria aims to shed light on religious discrimination in Pakistani cricket and society, which he believes not only disrespected his identity but also ended his career unfairly.
