Veteran India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is facing the wrath of the netizens over his remarks supporting Jamia students.
Irfan had posted a message on Twitter a day after the protest against Indian government’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) led to a violent clash between protestors and Police in Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University.
“Political blame game will go on forever but I and our country is concerned about the students of #JamiaMilia #JamiaProtest,” the southpaw's tweet read.
Subsequently, Irfan coped a lot of criticism from those who didn’t agree to his views but the southpaw is unfazed by it.
In his column for The Indian Express, Pathan wrote he has earned the right to speak his mind on issues affecting the people of country.
“Let me start with a personal story. When I went to Pakistan in 2004 for the Friendship tour, I went to a college in Lahore along with Rahul Dravid, L Balaji, and Parthiv Patel. In a question-and-answer segment attended by 1,500 students, one girl got up and asked, almost in anger: why do I play for India despite being a Muslim? I stood up and said I am not doing any favours (ehsaan) by playing for India. It’s my country, and I am lucky, proud and honoured to represent it. It’s my mulk, my country, a place where my ancestors all come from. Everyone in that college clapped.”
“If I can speak like that in Pakistan, in an open gathering, puffing out my chest, then I don’t need anyone’s permission in my own country to say what I feel. I have represented my country. Some people should realise that. When I ran in to bowl for India, I didn’t think I am a Muslim. I am an Indian first before anything else,” he wrote.
Pathan, who has represented India in 29 Tests, 120 ODIs and 24 T20Is, also said that peaceful protest is one of the fundamental rights in a democratic country.
“Whenever there are two sides to an argument, and both strong, I don’t tweet about it. Here, the issue was different. Peaceful protest in a democracy is a fundamental right. I wanted the attention to go there so that there is no loss of life there, the situation doesn’t worsen. These are kids, our future. Aren’t the Jamia kids ours? Aren’t the IIM kids ours? Aren’t the North-East kids ours? Aren’t the kids from Kashmir and Gujarat ours? All of them are our kids.”
The 35-year-old further asserted that there is nothing wrong in him expressing his opinion.
“If I present my opinion on society, is it wrong? Haven’t I done anything for my society? I have. I also know that in this era of social media, there would be reactions and I also know that many of them are fake accounts,” he wrote.
Pathan concluded by saying that people should not spread hatred.
“Don’t spread hate. We should retain positivity in our minds. It’s not like before, a random text message of hate, now it’s everywhere; just open the phone and it will flood in. It’s our responsibility.”
