KOCHI: Faced with widespread outrage over it “warmly welcoming” controversial ex-Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi in a recent event in Dubai, a Kerala expatriate group, which claims to be an alumni association of Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat), has tendered an apology while clarifying that the gesture was “unintentional”.
The Cochin University Btech Alumni Association (CUBAA UAE) conducted the alumni event at Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) on May 25. Former Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul attended the programme.
A big controversy erupted after a video showing Afridi being accorded a warm welcome during the event went viral on social media. The former Pakistan captain maintained a strong anti-India stance during the recent military and diplomatic tensions between the two countries and even mocked India post the Pahalgham terror attack.
In the video, the crowd is seen cheering Afridi and chanting his nickname “boom boom”. The warm hospitality being extended to Afridi didn’t go down well with a large section of social media users who then stormed the accounts of CUBAA office-bearers and attacked them for “shamelessly” hosting the cricketer who had used every opportunity to demean India.
When a social media user described the act as "shameful", another netizen said "they are fetting someone who has been trash-talking our country."
As the incident triggered a widespread row, the CUBAA office-bearers, on Friday came out with an Instagram post expressing apology over the incident and said it was not intentional.
Without naming Afridi, they said they had booked Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) as a venue of the second season of an inter-collegiate dance competition much before the tension between India and Pakistan.
The same venue was used for the first season of the event last year also due to its affordability, the statement said.
"At the time of our event, the diplomatic tensions had already eased. Due to the unavailability of an alternative venue on short notice, we proceeded with the programme as scheduled at PAD Dubai," they said.
Amid the growing outrage, CUBAA office-bearers took to Instagram and tendered an apology, saying it was not intentional.
Without naming Afridi, they said they had booked Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) as a venue of the second season of an inter-collegiate dance competition much before the tension between India and Pakistan, and that the same venue was used for the first season of the event last year due to its affordability.
Cusat disowns association
CUSAT on Saturday distanced itself from the alumni event held last week, stating it had no connection with CUBAA UAE. “The university wants to state that it has no affiliation, association or link with CUBAA UAE,” it said in a statement.
(With inputs from PTI)