“Rahul Gandhi Boht Positive Mindset Wala Aadmi Hai”: Shahid Afridi Praises Congress Leader in Viral Video

New Delhi: A video of former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi praising Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has gone viral on social media, sparking reactions across the political spectrum.

The clip, taken from a sports discussion programme in Pakistan, shows Afridi seated with a male and a female anchor. Criticizing the Indian government, Afridi said, “Yeh jo government hai, baar baar main keh raha hoon, jo hamesha mazhab card khelti hai, Muslim-Hindu card khelti hai apne aap ko power mein lane ke liye, yeh bohot hi ganda kisam ka mindset hai, ganda kisam ka,” which roughly translates to, “This government, which repeatedly plays the religion card, the Muslim-Hindu card, to come into power, has a very dirty kind of mindset, a truly dirty mindset.”

Afridi added, “Yeh us waqt tak rahega jab tak inke bade yeh hi hain,” meaning, “This will continue as long as this leadership remains in place.”

Turning to Rahul Gandhi, Afridi said, “Jaise Rahul Gandhi ki agar main baat karoon, Rahul Gandhi bohot positive mindset wala aadmi hai. Dialogues ke zariye woh chalna chahta hai duniya ke saath,” translating to, “If I talk about Rahul Gandhi, he is a man with a very positive mindset. He wants to move forward with the world through dialogue.”

Afridi also took a veiled dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking, “Is one Israel not enough that you are trying to become another Israel?”

The video has drawn strong responses from the BJP. National spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla reacted on X, saying, “After Hafiz Saeed now Shahid Afridi (Terror apologist & India hater) praises Rahul Gandhi… Not surprised! Everyone who hates India finds an ally in Rahul Gandhi & Congress.” He further added, “From Soros to Shahid … INC = Islamabad National Congress. Art 370 to Surgical strike to clean chit on 26/11 & Pulwama and Pahalgam – Congress echoes Pakistan’s narrative always.”