Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian cricketers face backlash for supporting Pakistan virus fund

Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh have unleashed a social media storm by backing former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's foundation in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The two countries are bitter rivals and the move touched a raw nerve in India.


Afridi's appeal for donations to help people affected by the deadly virus in Pakistan has had overwhelming support from leading cricketers.

Harbhajan urged people to contribute in a video message, and called on other cricketers in the two countries to make similar appeals.

"These are testing times, it's time to look out for each other," Yuvraj wrote on Twitter in a call for funds.

While Afridi thanked the two, Indian Twitter users reacted with fury at the support for a rival player who has been a vocal critic of India's handling of the Kashmir dispute.

"Do you have any sense?" wrote one Twitter user. "Lost respect" for Harbhajan Singh, added another. "Sorry guys you lost it."

India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series since 2012-2013 and have seen a new peak in tensions over Kashmir, which has been at the centre of two wars between the neighbours since 1947.

Kashmir has been divided between the two since their independence seven decades ago and India frequently accuses Pakistan of organising "terrorism" on its side of the border.

World Cup-winning batsman Yuvraj, who made a return from cancer before finally retiring last year, has also raised money to fight coronavirus through his 'YouWeCan' foundation.

India, which has been under a 21-day lockdown since March 24, has so far confirmed more than 1,600 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths.

More For You

Mohua Chinappa

She believes her work is shaped by a single purpose: giving voice to those who have been unheard for far too long

Mohua Chinappa

Mohua Chinappa on why homemakers, their unseen labour, and midlife reinvention can no longer be ignored

Highlights

  • Mohua Chinappa says advocacy for homemakers and marginalised women drives her work
  • She calls unpaid domestic labour a long-ignored injustice in Indian households
  • Chinappa describes midlife as a moment of freedom, not decline, for South Asian women

Writer, podcaster and advocate Mohua Chinappa says the stories that matter most to her are those that rarely make it into the spotlight. From homemakers to queer communities, she believes her work is shaped by a single purpose: giving voice to those who have been unheard for far too long.

Speaking in a recent conversation, Chinappa draws directly from her own life to explain why the quiet labour of women, especially homemakers, needs urgent recognition.

Keep ReadingShow less