New Delhi: Terming the comments of Pakistani cricketer Shaid Afridi over Kashmir, and Pakistani High Commission’s invite to Hurriyat leaders as “conspiracy” against India, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad today urged the Centre to deal with firmly on such issues.
The VHP also criticised the invitation to the Kashmiri separatist leaders, including, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, at the Pakistani National Day by the Pakistani High Commission here.
“All this (Afridi’s comments and invitation to Hurriyat leaders), goes on to prove that Pakistani is neither interested in playing cricket nor in improving its relation with India,” VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said in a statement here.
He said that the two instances are a part of the “deep rooted conspiracy” by the forces inimical to India.
Afridi, who is leading the Pakistani T20 cricket team in the ongoing T20 World Cup here, had recently said “a lot of people from Kashmir” had come to support his team during the World Twenty20 match against New Zealand in Mohali.
His remarks triggered a controversy with BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur also criticising Shahid Afridi for the comments.
“To give a statement like that is not politically correct. A player should stay away from all this,” Thakur had said.
Pakistan High Commission has invited Hurriyat Conference leaders to 76th anniversary of Pakistan Day celebrations this evening.
Bansal also said that barring a few handful separatists, most of the Kashmiris are “nationalists.