Adnan Sami criticises ex-Pak minister for questioning his citizenship in wake of Pahalgam attack
New Delhi, Apr 27 (PTI): Adnan Sami has called out former information and broadcasting minister of Pakistan Chaudhry Fawad Hussain after he raised questions about the singer-composer's citizenship as tensions run high in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Terrorists struck Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 persons, most of them tourists, lost their lives earlier this week.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said all Pakistani nationals currently in India must leave the country before their visas expire.
Hussain on Saturday shared a post on X by an Indian journalist about the Centre's decision asking Pakistani nationals to leave India following the Pahalgam attack and captioned it: "What about Adnan Sami?"
London-born Sami, who was granted Indian citizenship in December 2015, responded to Hussain's post, saying "Who's going to tell this illiterate idiot!!"
Hussain responded to the singer's post, writing: "Our very Own Lahori Adnan Sami aisay lag rahay hein jaisey Balooon se hawa nikal chuki hooo… get well soon @AdnanSamiLive (sic)"
Sami then corrected him, saying that his roots were in Peshawar and not Lahore. His father was a Pakistani Air Force veteran-diplomat and his mother was originally from Jammu and Kashmir.
"To think that you were Minister of (Mis) Information and have no knowledge of any information... And you were Minister of Science? Was that the science of BULLS**T??" he wrote in his post.
The singer-composer, known for songs such as "Kabhi To Nazar Milao", "Tera Chehra", "Lift Kara De", and "Bhar Do Jholi", first arrived in India on March 13, 2001 on a visitors visa with the validity of one year which was issued by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad.
Sami's visa was extended from time to time. His Pakistani passport issued on May 27, 2010 expired on May 26, 2015 and his passport was not renewed by the Pakistan government which led him to approach the Indian government with the request to legalise his stay in India on humanitarian grounds.
Sami shared a post on X after the Pahalgam attack and wrote: "Innocent lives, full of hope and promise, were mercilessly snuffed out, leaving behind a trail of tears, shattered dreams, and inconsolable grief... How can humanity stoop to such depths of depravity? How can the beauty of nature be perverted to stage such horrific crimes against humanity?"
My heart shatters into a million pieces as I grapple with the devastating news & chilling visuals of the Pahalgam attack. A land so divinely beautiful, blessed with majestic mountains and serene valleys, has been desecrated by the brutal hands of hatred & senseless political… pic.twitter.com/GlZ8hKY7uc
— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) April 23, 2025
Who’s going to tell this illiterate idiot!!😂 https://t.co/OoH4w5iPQ3
— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) April 25, 2025
Oye CH, It took you a whole day to recover from the umbrella I opened inside you & then you came up with this??
— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) April 27, 2025
Kher, koi nahin, that’s what happens when you’re intellectually challenged!
Now… Tere hotay huay Pak ko na #Bumb ki kami hai na BUM Ki!!!
Btw- Love the way you run… https://t.co/orjh1mAMR2
Hamara #Bumb wapis keroooo … @AdnanSamiLive https://t.co/9QGRK8CcGt
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 27, 2025
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Rohit identifies Arshdeep, Hardik as key to India's chances in T20 World Cup
New Delhi (PTI): T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh will hold the key to India's prospects in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Defending champions India will enter the T20 showpiece as one of the overwhelming favourites due to their massive depth and quality.
Rohit highlighted Arshdeep's effectiveness with the new ball and at the death.
"It is a big positive to have both Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh together because they always attack for wickets. Arshdeep's biggest strength is swinging the new ball and taking early wickets. He mainly bowls with the new ball and at the death. Starting and finishing are the most important phases, and he is strong in both," Rohit told JioHotstar.
"With the new ball, he swings it to get left-handers caught in the slips and targets the pads of right-handers. He has also started taking the ball away from right-handers. These skills are key for a new-ball bowler. He always tries to take wickets, which is why he bowls the first over."
Rohit added, "In the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, he did a great job. I still remember he dismissed Quinton de Kock when he was set and batting well. In the 19th over, he gave away just two or three runs, which built pressure on the South Africans.
"That is his game, bowling with the new ball and at the death, and he will play a key role for India in the 2026 T20 World Cup."
India won the last edition of the tournament in the Americas under Rohit's captaincy, after which the dashing opener retired from the T20 format internationally.
Rohit also spoke about how Hardik's dual role as a finisher and multi-phase bowler provides crucial balance to the Indian team.
"Whenever Hardik Pandya is in the team, his role is huge. He bats and bowls very consistently. His batting is crucial when the team is stuck. If we have a score of 160 on the board in 15-16 overs and Hardik is batting, then he's the one who can help the team reach 210-220 from there or if we are 50 for 4, he has to build the innings.
"Batting in the middle order at 5, 6, or 7 is very tough. That is why Hardik's role is critical in any format. We know his bowling. He bowls in key phases, with the new ball, in the middle and in the death as well. His role is very important because he gives the team balance, letting us play six bowlers and keep our batting deep."
Rohit said accommodating both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy together in the playing XI is going to be a big challenge for the Indian team management.
"The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy together. If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge.
"But honestly, I would be tempted to play both Varun and Kuldeep because they are wicket-takers and batters struggle to read them. I would surely pick them."
The former India skipper added, "Looking at the conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends.
"Even in Mumbai, which doesn't get cold, there's still dew. I'd say 90-95 percent of grounds in India have dew. That's the challenge. What do the coach and captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there's no fixed rule. It depends on the team leaders' thinking."
Rohit also urged Kuldeep to stop appealing on every ball and to rely on the wicketkeeper's judgment for reviews.
"My one simple advice to Kuldeep is to just bowl quietly and go back to his mark. You can't appeal on every ball. This is basic. I keep saying it, but it still happens often. Even after telling him many times, he appeals at every chance. You have to use your head. Just because it touches the pad, it doesn't mean it's out every time. This isn't gully cricket.
"I get he is enthusiastic, but think of the team first. Each team only gets two DRS reviews. If I was the keeper, I could see where the ball pitched and if it was hitting, I could tell the bowler.
"But from covers or slip, you don't know the angle. You have to listen to what the keeper and bowler say. That's why when there's a review off Kuldeep's bowling, I don't look at him, I look at the keeper to decide."
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in venues across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
