'Hypocrites': Netizens troll Pakistan as Azam Khan handed penalty for displaying Palestinian flag

During the Israel-Gaza conflict, numerous athletes worldwide, including renowned Pakistani cricketers like Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, and Babar Azam, expressed substantial support for Palestine. The latest to join the list is another Pakistani cricketer, Azam Khan, a budding player and son of former Pakistan star Moeen Khan. 

3 things you need to know 

• It's been more than 45 days to the Israel-Gaza war
• Gaza strip is a 45 km of land which is run by the terror group Hamas
• Hamas had fired over 5000 missiles at Israel which led to a war between both sides 

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Azam Khan's controversial support of Palestine during the National T20 Cup in Pakistan

While representing Karachi Whites in Pakistan's National T20 Cup, cricketer Azam Khan expressed solidarity with Palestine by displaying the nation's flag on his bat, demonstrating support for the victims of the conflict. Nevertheless, the PCB imposed a fine equivalent to 50 percent of Azam Khan's match fees, citing a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. According to ICC regulations, players are prohibited from incorporating logos or messages that convey political, social, or religious significance.

Netizens slam PCB over imposing fine on Azam Khan for supporting Palestine

Fans on social media slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board for imposing 50 percent of match fees on cricketer Azam Khan over his support of Palestine. Pakistan as a country doesn't recognise Israel to be a legitimate state and PCB's action against Azam has caused people on social media to call out the hypocricy of the state. Some of the reactions are mentioned below: 

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In the current scenario, Israel and Hamas have announced a five-day cease-fire deal wherein Hamas will hand over the hostages they captured while attacking Israel. On the other hand, Israel have stopped their attack on Hamas for the next five days. 

Pakistani cricketers also extended their support to Palestine during the ODI World Cup 2023 but it was off the cricket field due to which they were not fined or punished by the ICC or their cricket board.