Federal Ministers Asad Umar and Sheikh Rasheed are being criticised on social media for practicing jingoism over Pakistan’s victory against India in International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup on Sunday.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, in a video message, said that Pakistan’s win over India was ‘a victory of Islam’. He went on to congratulate ‘Muslims around the globe’.
The minister’s remarks have been termed jingoistic by social media users in Pakistan who are of the opinion that the country should display humility instead of spewing hatred after the historic victory. They lamented that such remarks were issued by the ministers despite the fact that players from both Pakistan and India displayed sportsmanship and Indian captain Virat Kohli accepted that Pakistan outplayed the Indian team.
‘Congratulations to whole Muslim community around the globe’ – This is quite an absurd statement by interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed. Keep politics and religion out of cricket please pic.twitter.com/qggRqIQd4W
— Shiraz Hassan (@ShirazHassan) October 25, 2021
Some Twitter users commented that the minister is habitual of pulling out the religion card even in matters not linked to Islam.
https://twitter.com/mahobili/status/1452540922189815811?s=20
Others wondered why Rasheed could not celebrate the victory like other Pakistanis and show his excitement to the world instead of displaying jingoism.
All Sheikh Rasheed needed to do was get out on his bike and do a nagin dance on the streets of Pindi. But no! Instead he chose to record a vile and disgusting video that no one asked for.
— Husn Hai Suhana (@Fatmounh) October 25, 2021
Twitterati also noted that Sheikh Rasheed’s remarks will fuel the fire and enable further hatred against Muslims in India (including a Muslim player, Mohammad Shami) who have been at the receiving end of Hindutva terror.
What a dangerous, divisive statement by the Interior Minister, esp. when the one Muslim player in Indian team is being subjected to vicious abuse, his loyalty to India being questioned because of his religion
Certain ministers are incapable of showing grace in victory, it seems https://t.co/5Gi2wzPLBL
— Reema Omer (@reema_omer) October 25, 2021
Earlier, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar also posted a hateful tweet saying, “First we beat them up (Indians), and when they fall on the ground, we offer them tea.”
ان کو ☕ پلانا نا بھولنا @babarazam258…. پہلے ہم ان کو پھینٹی لگاتے ہیں، پھر جب یہ آسمان سے زمین پر آ جاتے ہیں تو ☕ پلا کر گھر بھیجتے ہیں #PakvsIndia
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) October 24, 2021
Asad Umar’s tweet was also criticised by social media users who asked him to stop muscle flexing.
Thankfully, the players responded with grace, decency and sportsman spirit after the momentous win today instead of the jingoism on display here by the Minister for Planning and Development https://t.co/ZWTgkcflWc pic.twitter.com/IlJ46mraz7
— Reema Omer (@reema_omer) October 24, 2021
How childish and immature this guy is. I am glad that players on the field were not listening to his bakbak. For me, the hurt of losing disappeared the moment I saw Kohli and other players bear hugging each other. It was so touching and heart warming. People like Sheikh Rasheed should be kept away from the sport because they don’t realise that passion for cricket and the war are not the same.