Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
Thought I'd extract Afridi's political views from his book (Game Changer). Here are some excerpts from the chapter:
I once had a face-off with Ijaz Butt, an interestingly flawed former chairman of the PCB. I remember: the vultures were circling. I was close to being chucked out of the national cricket team again. And guess who popped up to offer help: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The offer was interesting. In return for resolving the conflict with Butt, Bilawal's people said that I must accompany the young politician on rallies. Needless to say, I didn't take Bilawal's help. Let sleeping dogs lie on that story about the negotiations. But, on the political front, I think Bilawal has a long way to go. Unfortunately, the Pakistan Peoples Party perished with his mother, Benazir Bhutto sahiba. His father couldn't hack it. That's the honest truth as I see it.
When I met him in London, Bilawal was making a political pitch, asking me to join forces with him, even campaign with him. Personally, I met him only because I wanted to meet Benazir's son, hoping he would walk on the same path his late mother did. But I soon realized who was calling the shots in the PPP. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was just a front, I realized. His hands are tied like a puppet's. He may eventually be leader of the party, but for now, his father is in charge. That still seems to be the case somewhat.
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Mian sahib too offered me a position in his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML[N]). He made the proposal rather indirectly, in his particular style, by asking me to put a lion's sticker on my bat. The lion, of course, is the symbol of his wing of the Pakistan Muslim League. I laughed it off. There's no space for politics — not on the field.
------------------------------------
Then, of course, is that famous moment when, before he became prime minister, or was even close to it, Imran Khan offered me to join his cause openly, during his months-long 2014 protest in Islamabad.
Those were trying times for the country. Pakistan stood polarized. On the one hand, Nawaz Sharif's juggernaut had taken over Punjab, with a massive majority in the 2013 elections. Opposition leader Imran Khan had managed to win only one out of the four provinces, and wasn't doing too well. He claimed Nawaz had cheated. Nobody — not the courts, not the media, not the people — bothered to do anything about his complaints. So, he put a rag- tag coalition together and decided to march upon Islamabad. The momentum and number of supporters he required to paralyse the capital, he never got. So, he started talking to the media and pulling these interesting political stunts. Every night, for three months, as he stayed parked outside Parliament on a container, he would make some controversial speech or the other or pull a stunt. And then, one monsoon night, as he stood there with millions watching, he invited me to join him. The issue was so loaded and the country so politicized that all of a sudden, I started getting calls — from news channels, from politicians, from family members — advising me to go or not to go. The fate of the country hung in the balance with Khan's anti-Nawaz sit-in.
I decided to opt out. No doubt, Imran bhai is quite the leader. But there are a lot of people in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-lnsaf whom he doesn't need. His dependence on these people scared me off from joining him. See, he's the Khan. He doesn't need anyone, especially not turncoats. He needs fresh blood. He needs the youth. But a lot of people are misusing his name for their own benefit. Now that he's PM, I'm hoping his party's internal accountability has improved.
As for Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib, I'm not going to get into the Panama Leaks or the other investigations that were underway against him by the time this book went to print. But there is no doubt — and my opinion here may raise quite a few eyebrows — that Mian sahib knows how to deliver.
Look at Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, the capitals of the three provinces he's never governed. They are suffering. Look at Lahore, the province of Punjab which he governed. It's not. That's my argument.
As for the mighty Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is Imran Khan's territory, his party's done well there but still has a long way to go. He should follow the simple political principle of what is seen, is then sold. I want delivery for all provinces. Imran bhai hasn't gotten there yet.
------------------------------------
Back to General Raheel Sharif: meeting him was like meeting a family elder. He wanted to know about the state of Pakistan cricket...
Another army chief who showed the same concern for the game was General Pervez Musharraf...
Unfortunately, when I met another so-called leader, I didn't get the same response. It was after one of our championship victories, when we were invited to Islamabad to meet President Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari sahib just showed up, brusquely shook our hands, smiled for the photo-op and left. He wasn't interested in our victory, in the game of cricket or in improving sports for Pakistanis. He was just counting the seconds for the photographers to do their job and leave. I was really disappointed. In fact, I remember feeling a bit angry too. Sure, Zardari is a heck of a politician. His temperament is amazing. He survived five years in office and almost a decade in jail, a time when most people and institutions wanted his head on a stick. In a place like Pakistan, a full term in office is no small feat. Zardari is a survivor. But he isn't a cricket fan, nor is he a great leader. That's something I hold against him.
I once had a face-off with Ijaz Butt, an interestingly flawed former chairman of the PCB. I remember: the vultures were circling. I was close to being chucked out of the national cricket team again. And guess who popped up to offer help: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The offer was interesting. In return for resolving the conflict with Butt, Bilawal's people said that I must accompany the young politician on rallies. Needless to say, I didn't take Bilawal's help. Let sleeping dogs lie on that story about the negotiations. But, on the political front, I think Bilawal has a long way to go. Unfortunately, the Pakistan Peoples Party perished with his mother, Benazir Bhutto sahiba. His father couldn't hack it. That's the honest truth as I see it.
When I met him in London, Bilawal was making a political pitch, asking me to join forces with him, even campaign with him. Personally, I met him only because I wanted to meet Benazir's son, hoping he would walk on the same path his late mother did. But I soon realized who was calling the shots in the PPP. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was just a front, I realized. His hands are tied like a puppet's. He may eventually be leader of the party, but for now, his father is in charge. That still seems to be the case somewhat.
------------------------------------
Mian sahib too offered me a position in his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) (PML[N]). He made the proposal rather indirectly, in his particular style, by asking me to put a lion's sticker on my bat. The lion, of course, is the symbol of his wing of the Pakistan Muslim League. I laughed it off. There's no space for politics — not on the field.
------------------------------------
Then, of course, is that famous moment when, before he became prime minister, or was even close to it, Imran Khan offered me to join his cause openly, during his months-long 2014 protest in Islamabad.
Those were trying times for the country. Pakistan stood polarized. On the one hand, Nawaz Sharif's juggernaut had taken over Punjab, with a massive majority in the 2013 elections. Opposition leader Imran Khan had managed to win only one out of the four provinces, and wasn't doing too well. He claimed Nawaz had cheated. Nobody — not the courts, not the media, not the people — bothered to do anything about his complaints. So, he put a rag- tag coalition together and decided to march upon Islamabad. The momentum and number of supporters he required to paralyse the capital, he never got. So, he started talking to the media and pulling these interesting political stunts. Every night, for three months, as he stayed parked outside Parliament on a container, he would make some controversial speech or the other or pull a stunt. And then, one monsoon night, as he stood there with millions watching, he invited me to join him. The issue was so loaded and the country so politicized that all of a sudden, I started getting calls — from news channels, from politicians, from family members — advising me to go or not to go. The fate of the country hung in the balance with Khan's anti-Nawaz sit-in.
I decided to opt out. No doubt, Imran bhai is quite the leader. But there are a lot of people in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-lnsaf whom he doesn't need. His dependence on these people scared me off from joining him. See, he's the Khan. He doesn't need anyone, especially not turncoats. He needs fresh blood. He needs the youth. But a lot of people are misusing his name for their own benefit. Now that he's PM, I'm hoping his party's internal accountability has improved.
As for Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib, I'm not going to get into the Panama Leaks or the other investigations that were underway against him by the time this book went to print. But there is no doubt — and my opinion here may raise quite a few eyebrows — that Mian sahib knows how to deliver.
Look at Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta, the capitals of the three provinces he's never governed. They are suffering. Look at Lahore, the province of Punjab which he governed. It's not. That's my argument.
As for the mighty Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is Imran Khan's territory, his party's done well there but still has a long way to go. He should follow the simple political principle of what is seen, is then sold. I want delivery for all provinces. Imran bhai hasn't gotten there yet.
------------------------------------
Back to General Raheel Sharif: meeting him was like meeting a family elder. He wanted to know about the state of Pakistan cricket...
Another army chief who showed the same concern for the game was General Pervez Musharraf...
Unfortunately, when I met another so-called leader, I didn't get the same response. It was after one of our championship victories, when we were invited to Islamabad to meet President Asif Ali Zardari. Zardari sahib just showed up, brusquely shook our hands, smiled for the photo-op and left. He wasn't interested in our victory, in the game of cricket or in improving sports for Pakistanis. He was just counting the seconds for the photographers to do their job and leave. I was really disappointed. In fact, I remember feeling a bit angry too. Sure, Zardari is a heck of a politician. His temperament is amazing. He survived five years in office and almost a decade in jail, a time when most people and institutions wanted his head on a stick. In a place like Pakistan, a full term in office is no small feat. Zardari is a survivor. But he isn't a cricket fan, nor is he a great leader. That's something I hold against him.
has been around: 
for a few years now, this meeting is probably to do with hia charity foundation I guess
