'Terrorists show up like family picnic': Shoaib Akhtar faces heat after brother's funeral attended by Lashkar members

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is facing severe backlash on social media after several terrorists were seen in attendance at the funeral of his brother Shahid Akhtar. Leaders of the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were seen at the event which took place in Islamabad.

Shoaib's brother Shahid passed away on June 24 with reports suggesting that he suffered a cardiac arrest. The former Pakistan speedster Shoaib confirmed the death on social media and posted that his elder brother had “returned to Allah”. He also shared details of the funeral prayers that took place in the national capital.

Fans slam Akhtar

Multiple reports stated that some of the top commanders from the banned terror outfit were present at the funeral. Saifullah Kasuri, the deputy chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba and the mastermind of the April 22, 2025, Pahalgam terror attack, was among those present. Also seen at the funeral was Inam-ur-Rehman Kamboh, president of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML), widely regarded as the political front of LeT.

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A video released by the PMML showed several other office-bearers of the organisation attending the funeral. They included Abdullah Toor, the party’s deputy general secretary, Hafiz Umar, PMML’s zonal general secretary, and Amjad Bhatti, chairman of its Khidmat Committee.

The former pacer, known for bowling the fastest ball in cricket history, has not commented on the presence of LeT-linked figures at the ceremony. However, fans are slamming him for having links with people from such organisations.

One fan joked about how the scenes from the funeral show that the ban on these outfits was working wonders. Another wrote that Pakistani cricket extends to terrorism.

This is not the first instance of a Pakistani cricketer being closely linked with terror outfits. In fact, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's cousin, Saquib Afridi, was a known commander of the terror group Harkat-ul-Ansar.