Former star Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria recently opened up on the discrimination he faced from his teammates during his playing days for being a Hindu.
As per Kaneria, former captain Shahid Afridi wanted him to give up Hinduism and convert to Islam. The former spinner said that Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar were the only two Pakistani players who stood by him.
“Shahid Afridi troubled me a lot during my playing days. Afridi and others would not eat with me. Shahid Afridi tried forcing me to convert to Islam. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar were the only people who supported me,” said Kaneria during an interview.
Moreover, Kaneria said that while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did back several players who were charged with spot-fixing, the officials didn’t support him because of his religion.
“I was charged with spot-fixing during my county stint. I admitted that I only met a bookie and that was about it. But they pressured me to accept the charges. The PCB didn’t support me because I am a Hindu. They were scared that if I continued to play, I would break their records,” Kaneria added.
Meanwhile, Kaneria has been slammed by a certain section of Pakistanis for his religious comments. He emphasised that he would continue to raise his voice whenever there is an injustice.
“My Sanatana Dharma is above everything. I am not saying anything wrong or making things up. I will raise my voice if anything wrong happens. There are a number of cases in Pakistan like these that have not even been reported. The situation is right in front of the whole world. I will always fight for my Hindu community,” said Kaneria.