Peshawar protests against social media smear campaign targeting Shahid Afridi

A protest was held in Peshawar against the negative campaign on social media targeting former cricket captain Shahid Afridi.

A large number of tribal youths participated in the demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club, chanting slogans in support of the former star all-rounder of the national team.

The protesters expressed strong opposition to the negative campaign against national heroes on social media. They warned that Afridi's supporters would be compelled to stage protests in every city if the smear campaign continued.

They emphasised that Shahid Afridi is a source of pride for the tribes and Pakistan.

The protesters vowed to prevent any conspiracy against him from succeeding and stressed the importance of recognising the achievements of national heroes.

The protest comes in the wake of recent allegations against Shahid Afridi, who was accused of endorsing a pro-Israel event in the UK.

Read more: Shahid Afridi denies endorsing ‘pro-Israel’ event in UK

A pro-Israel account on Instagram claimed he supported a "Friends of Israel" event in the UK on Wednesday.

Afridi has firmly denied these claims, stating that he was misrepresented and that he has always stood with Palestine.

Hours after the Instagram account posted Afridi's photo as an "endorsement" of the event in Manchester, Afridi responded on his X handle.

"Imagine strolling down a street in Manchester (UK) and so-called fans approach you for a selfie. You oblige, and moments later, they upload it as some form of Zionist endorsement…," Afridi wrote.

"Unbelievable! Please don't believe everything that is uploaded."

The controversy sparked a wave of criticism on social media, prompting Afridi's supporters to rally in his defence.