Organisers Clarify Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul’s Uninvited Appearance at Kerala Community Event in Dubai

The Cochin University BTech Alumni Association (CUBAA) has said ex Pakistan players Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul were uninvited at their cultural event in Dubai last week and that the organisers were "taken aback and couldn't ask them to leave".

The cricketers showed up at Ormachuvadukal Season 2 which was an inter collegiate dance competition organized by CUBAA at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) on May 25. The association said they were there "uninvited" while they were busy winding the event down.

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In widely circulated videos from the event, Afridi can be seen taking to the stage to loud cheers and chants of "Boom Boom", his moniker from his playing days. The 47-year-old seemed to prompt the crowd response with his own reply, "Hogaya Boom Boom", to further applause.

Afridi's appearance has attracted backlash online particularly as it comes a few weeks after he had made an derogatory remarks against India in relation to Pahalgam terror attacks. Afridi has a long history of criticizing India and these perceived politically charged statements about Kashmir.

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CUBAA has said repeatedly their event was purely cultural and that there was no political or other undertones intended. “We would like to formally address recent concerns… These cricketers made an unannounced and unsolicited appearance at our event," the organisers said in a statement.

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While India is in the middle of #OperationSindoor, the “Indian Kerala community” in UAE was busy cheering Shahid Afridi & Umar Gul.

Kerala once again shows its true colours celebrating Pakistani stars while our soldiers fight on the frontlines.

Priorities, right? #KeralaModel… pic.twitter.com/cKVWTU7FYy

— महारथी-മഹാരഥി (@MahaRathii) May 30, 2025

“Given the surprise nature of their visit, we were unable to restrict their access or manage the crowd response appropriately in that short span of time. We regret any confusion or inconvenience caused to attendees, participants, or supporters due to this unplanned development. We deeply regret any hurt or offense our actions may have caused. It was never our intention, and we sincerely apologize to those affected," the group further added.

Shahid Afridi appeared on Pakistani television and blamed Indian security forces and their competence following the killing of 26 innocent civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack. “You have an 800,000-strong army in Kashmir and this still happened. It means you are inefficient and useless if you can’t provide security to the people," he said.

After India's precision attacks on Pakistani military installations during Operation Sindoor, Afridi was also seen leading a victory parade in Pakistan, falsely claiming that to be a victory for his country.

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