Stress has spread on social media after a recent attack in Pahgam, located in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where not only citizens but also former cricketers of both India and Pakistan are engaged in the war of words.
The conversation began when former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi made a strong comment on a local TV program, criticizing the Indian Army’s performance in Kashmir.
Commenting on the incident in Pahalgam, Afridi questioned how such an incident could happen despite the presence of “800,000 Indian soldiers” in the region.
“If the cracker also stops in India, the blame is placed in Pakistan,” he said. “You have eight lakh soldiers deployed in Kashmir and yet such incidents happen – this means that you are disabled and useless.”
His comments quickly gained traction on Indian media and started a strong response from former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan. Taking into the social media platform X, Dhawan opened fire in Afridi, referring to India’s victory in the Kargil conflict.
“We defeated you in Kargil, how little will you stop?” Dhawan wrote. “Instead of making baseless comments, focus on the development of your country.”
Spat intensified on Tuesday when Afridi responded with a touch of satire. Posting a picture of himself in a cup of military style dress holding a cup of tea, he wrote on X, “Win or lose-ao, let me, add some tea, peak,” the hashtag #Fantastictea.
The hashtag #Fantastictea references to a widely promoted incident on 27 February 2019, when Pakistan shot two Indian aircraft, who violated its airspace and captured Abhinandan, Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, and Indian Air Force Wing Commander Abhinandan Worthman.
During his detention, in a video a Pakistani official humbly asked, “I hope you like tea?” To which Abhinandan responded peacefully, “Tea is fantastic, thank you.” The clip quickly went viral and became a symbol of Pakistan’s media story around the incident.
Although Rarendan was released and returned to India as a goodwill gesture, the moment, and phrases, have become a long -running meme in Pakistan since then, yet often referred to in both political and pop culture contexts.
