Kamal Ghorui
Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar has made an emotional appeal to the international community after a devastating airstrike struck a rehabilitation centre in Kabul. The young cricketer spoke about the wider impact of the escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling attention to the human cost of the conflict.In what has been described as one of the deadliest airstrikes carried out by Pakistan on Afghanistan, at least 400 people were killed and around 250 others injured. Afghanistan’s deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat stated that the strike hit a drug rehabilitation hospital, leaving significant portions of the 2,000-bed facility in ruins. Pakistan, however, has denied the allegations.Ghazanfar highlighted the importance of the facility, stressing that it provided crucial support to vulnerable sections of society.“The people there don’t have money for treatment,” Ghazanfar told CNN News18. “And now, they’ve targeted that place as well; they’ve martyred those people. This is not acceptable to the people of Afghanistan.”Strongly condemning the attack, he also questioned the intent behind such military actions.“I don’t know what they’re trying to prove. They come and target ordinary people, and we simply cannot accept this. Afghanistan cannot accept this,” he said in the interview.“Everyone knows Afghanistan’s history,” he warned. “If that history repeats itself, it will be very bad for Pakistan.”Ghazanfar, who is set to represent Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2026, also spoke about Afghanistan’s ties with India, describing it as a close ally. He urged the global community to step in and help de-escalate the situation, emphasising that such conflicts harm ordinary people the most.“India is our close friend. We want to engage with them, to talk about these issues, so that things like this don’t happen. This is our request to other countries too. This is not good for the people. Right now, the world is going through many challenges, and this is not good for anyone,” he concluded.The spinner is yet to make his IPL debut and has featured in 20 matches for Afghanistan so far, picking up 29 wickets across formats.
