Imran Khan, a former captain and current prime minister, was left out of a social media video honoring the national team’s victories since the nation’s founding in 1947, drawing criticism from Pakistani cricket enthusiasts.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a video on Monday to mark the 76th anniversary of the nation’s independence, highlighting the nation’s development and achievements in the sport.
Fans instantly criticized it, accusing the PCB of caving in to the “political agenda” of the nation’s ruling alliance and omitting the World Cup-winning captain despite including footage from the team’s victory at the 1992 global competition.
Following a vote of no confidence in parliament, Khan was removed as prime minister in April of last year. Since then, his political career has taken a nosedive, ending in his arrest earlier this month and a five-year political ban from the country’s election authority.
Reminiscing in Pakistan crickets history, 11 images of the 1992 World Cup win and not one pic or mention of the greatest that ever played the game for the country!
— Urooj Mumtaz Khan (@uroojmumtazkhan) August 14, 2023
Imran Khan will go down in history as one of the greats of the global game!#PakistanCricket https://t.co/wKsvBgNZ3u
There has been a de facto ban on broadcasters using Khan’s name or displaying his image for the past few months. Also prohibited from receiving any airtime are his speeches and press conferences, according to Pakistan’s media regulatory body.
Khan played for Pakistan in international cricket for more than 20 years before retiring in 1992, the year he helped Pakistan win the World Cup.
He is largely recognized as one of cricket’s all-time great players.
“Reminiscing in Pakistan cricket’s past, 11 pictures of the 1992 World Cup victory and not a single picture or mention of the greatest player who ever represented the nation in the game!” Urooj Mumtaz Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s women, remarked.
Osman Samiuddin, a journalist and cricket historian from Pakistan, stated that it must have taken “some effort” to produce this film without the “greatest Pakistani cricketer ever.”
The attempt to “airbrush” out Khan from Pakistan cricket history was dubbed “Stalinist” by British broadcaster and author Peter Oborne.
In terms of international cricket, Khan holds a number of records and is credited for bringing in neutral umpires.
In 1994, Khan established a cancer research hospital in honor of his mother with funds raised both domestically and abroad, solidifying his position as one of the nation’s top philanthropists.
After retiring, the 70-year-old entered politics, and his biggest victory came in 2018 when his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the national election, putting him in the position of prime minister.
But after the no-confidence vote in April of last year, Khan was removed from office because the Supreme Court determined that his earlier obstruction of the procedure and dissolution of parliament were unlawful.
Khan has publicly charged that the PTI and his political career are being targeted by the nation’s ruthless military and intelligence service.
Despite being an independent sports organization, the PCB has frequently been run at the direction of the government, with the prime minister being responsible for all of the body’s top selections, including its chairman.
Amer Malik, a cricket journalist, said, “Expected Pakistan to be above petty politics especially since it constantly complains about political interference in other countries, PCB proving once again proving to be nothing but a puppet organization.”
Despite being imprisoned and forbidden from politics, Khan has maintained his position as a very popular leader and has received a lot of support from young Pakistanis living both inside and outside of the nation.
The cricket world calls Imran Khan “The Great Imran Khan” and considers him the best captain in the history of cricket.
— Amber Tweets (@amber_rj) August 14, 2023
The 92 World Cup was won under his captaincy. No power in the world can take this honor from Imran Khan.
History has already been written!! pic.twitter.com/htKxN8tL9v
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