Lahore, January 27: Willing to forget the perceived snub to Pakistani players at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction in Mumbai last week, all-rounder Shahid Afridi said he wants to treat the issue as closed.
Afridi said he was hurt the way the Pakistani players were treated at the auction but if he is invited to play in India he would do so happily.
”Over the last few days there has been intense media attention on the IPL auction in Pakistan and India. After my explanation, Inshallah, the matter will be closed,” Afridi said.
”After the IPL auction I was deeply hurt and angry. The way Pakistani players were treated was disrespectful and, in my view, wrong. ”Whose fault it was?… I don’t know. In times like these, as a Muslim, the examples of our Prophet has guided me and I’m therefore willing to forgive and forget what has happened and look forward,” Afridi was quoted as saying by ‘pakpassion.com’.
Afridi said India and Pakistan need to build their relations rather than break them.
”When you look at the great work that has been done by the Aman Ki Asha project, we realise that is how we need to move forward. Sport should be used to build peace between our great nations, not break them,” the all-rounder said.
”If I was invited to play in India again I would do so happily. They have great fans and great stadiums and I have many friends there. Although Pakistan and India have borders, these borders cannot divide humanity,” he added.
——Agencies