Danish Kaneria criticises PM Shehbaz for outdated post on Arshad Nadeem

Former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria has criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for posting an outdated photo to celebrate Arshad Nadeem’s historic victory at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Nadeem, who claimed gold in the men’s javelin final with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 metres, brought home Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold in the event, edging out India's Neeraj Chopra.

Prime Minister Sharif congratulated Nadeem on social media but used an old photo of himself handing the athlete a cheque of Rs1 million.

Kaneria quickly called out the prime minister, urging him to delete the post. “Mr Prime Minister, at least offer a graceful congratulations. Delete the picture of the million rupees you gave—it does nothing for his real needs. This amount is so small he can’t even afford air tickets. It’s an insult to both Arshad and the nation, considering his ongoing struggles,” Kaneria stated.

Following Nadeem’s Olympic triumph, Maryam Nawaz, Chief Minister of Punjab, announced a Rs100 million cash prize for the javelin champion. She also vowed to name a sports city after Nadeem in his hometown of Mian Channu.

Nadeem, who was previously a Commonwealth Games champion and a silver medallist at the Budapest World Championships, further cemented his legacy by surpassing the defending Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, who took silver with a throw of 89.45 metres.