Dawn Images

He has lost it. I feel sorry for him.

I m big fan of IK but do not like this attitude..he shud stand tall alwaz.

Are Pakistani's really that fickle that they would turn on the basis of one (presumably) carelessly spoken word? Is their loyalty only skin deep.......where a persons lifelong service to the country is forgotten because he is a little blunt with his words? Let me repeat what I have said elsewhere...... I have read THE most idiotic comments from people purporting to be such staunch Pakistani's and yet just as suddenly makes a government who is stealing the food from Pakistani children's mouths into the nations hero's!! For what? A game where grown men run around a field throwing a ball at each other! shame on us that we put a game of cricket as more important than the state of your country and are so quick to abuse and belittle the only leader in Pakistan who IS trying to pull the nation together for a greater cause than a game of fecking cricket!! Next time try and put your brain in gear and listen to what he is actually saying instead of catching one word and running with it

In sheer desperation Imran Khan has lost his senses and must take a break from giving stupid statements!!!

i neither voted for PML or PTI; but this non-sense from IK shows how mean he is.

Calling players "Patheechar" does not suit to a person of Imran Khan's status. Imran Khan has lost respect of most people.

what a Phateeeeechar comment! !!!

One of journalist released off the record chat, everybody can guess which news channel did this. IK should be careful next time

I think the remarks were harsh and unhospitable.

unbecoming of a man who has been a star cricketer of the subcontinent for decades !

@Ameer You made a strong Point but "He Shouldn't have Said that". He was a Cricketer himself. Such Derogatory Words Do not Suit IK.

Hold on everyone, if IK says they are phateacher, then they are. Don't be emotional and see their records on cricinfo, their records say they are almost phateacher. IK is a leader and in cricket he is far far ahead of anyone we have. So if he says phateacher then he knows better and he does not lie.

@Ameer IK first told that it is not worthy to have a final in Lahore when whole nation was happy for it. Now he has repeated that so called Bluntness again by disrespecting all cricketers who played PSL final. So sad to see a statement from such a Senior former cricketer! Pls stop it!!

Khan Sahib, with great difficulty you are coming closer to the masses, please let it remain like that. It is helpful to remain quiet than to utter words that may hurt the feelings of your supporters. Who knows better than you what cricket means to Pakistanis. After a long time jovial mood of the suffering masses was witnessed, please appreciate it even conditionally.

Khan Sahib, This statement is much lower than your national and international standing as ex-player and very poplar politician. Regardless, of the quality of their cricket, foreign players were our guests. It is very insulting statement not only with respect to those foreign players, but also to all those audience who watched match live in the stadium.

You lost a loyal fan today

I am a supporter of Imran khan, but this is disrespectful to call anyone patheechaar. His concerns were valid about the security but after the event was completed nicely and without any incident. He should have congratulated the whole pakistan for standing up aguanist terrorism. The event was a victory of cricket and the people of Pakistan. He should have kept quiet.

...let's face it the players who came to lahore were in fact quiet not famous...Quetta gladiators batting was subpar

@Abdulla Hussain the masses should more worried about getting closer to the great Khan.

Imran should have been more careful or tactful in his choice of words but one has to admit that the foreign bunch of players who came to Lahore are no great stars with the possible exception of Darren Sammy. That did take the gloss out of the event and anyone who does not admit to it is in denial.

This is called Self distruction! Why is he loosing fans and support for non-issue Now? It happened safely and people enjoyed it.

He says except for 3-4 players who came to Lahore all others are unknown ...He is 100% right . Who is Emrit, Anamul Haque, Ervine and Van Wyk, DJ Malan....? Nobody knows them ....

@Naeem Are you serious? Still defending his comments. It doesnt matter if they are Phateechar or not, it doesnt suit IK to make such comments. They were our guests. Will you personally do this to your guests? if yes then I would say like leader like follower.

He is correct, average players paid huge amounts of money for playing in the final, not worth it really.

The guy is honest, most of the foreign players playing in the final would not even get into the local clubs.

IK has always been selfish cricketer turn politician and he is showing his true face to the million people who greeted the Overseas player with open hurt . IK you are simply a senseless man and do have respect of others so no one in the country will respect you. The so called pathichar you are saying they are the T20 world champion . Shame on you to disgrace your cricket fan . V.V Richard is most famous cricketer than you . Syed Naseem Ahmed

Imran Khan is rude, but correct.

Its sad to hear such comments especially when coming from IK!

Imran is 100 per cent right. Quetta were robbed of their overseas players not playing in the final. who were the players that came in as replacements I am sure no one has heard of them before. Yes Cricket did win in the end and well done for playing the final in Lahore. Going forward it would be best to make it clear to overseas players that if the final is being held in Pakistan then you must honour your contracts and play there as you are cheating the supporter's which is not right

Phateechar's will be proud that they brought back Cricket to Pakistan. Well done.

Phateechar's deserve to be proud for bringing back Cricket to Pakistan and for entertaining the people of Pakistan. Well done. They surely deserve an applause.

Imran really should issue an apology!

Players have nothing to do with all this politics so please don't blame them, they were paid to play cricket in Lahore and they played. Yes, you can talk about the politics behind it but this word can be avoided. He should apologize and really nothing wrong in it. I don't understand that why he doesn't choose correct words when on social media or in press conference.

IK senseless comment. Foreign players visited Pak and that makes them great. IK shud not be in opposition to the interest of Pakistan. Very pathetic.

well done Images !

@Naeem I an sorry but he looked so small, jealous and desperate today. We r not mqm followers who'll defend any rubbish coming out of the mouth of our leader. Think urself and speak up. He should know he isn't leading idiots. Frankly right now, he looks #phateecher to me. I hope it settles down in a few days unless he comes up with something else even more phateecher. He cud ve just won hearts and respect just by attending this event which he didnt. Now dat it is been a success and he's been proven wrong, he's getting jealous and in the process he's lost his mind.

Shockingly inappropriate comments by Imran Khan. He has completely lost the plot.

Did not expect this from IK. Who are you to call another human being with such title

IK getting older. He does not know what to say?

It doesn't suit him.. Nobody deserves to be called this ugly word... I hate cricket for these phateechar reasons..

May be he is Zulmi fan like me... felt same ...

Why is it that people don't like the truth but will be happy and comfortable with half truths......Imran is 100 percent correct, no decent international player came and only nobody's came, most of us had never heard their names so Imran didn't say anything wrong.

Imran is right. If so much Capital was being invested in the tournament we expected better fpreign crickters who offered their services. Those who mattered did not come, those who have been or on the periphery came---thanks to them. The final was between have and have nots. Let us move on and plan next tournament better but let us assure the country does not come to a standstill.

@Ameer youve literally made my day by making the most sensible and realistic reply to the people who are provoked out of proportion by khans comments... youve aptly given words to my feelings on the topic

Hard to believe what he said. :(

He is right that this is not how Pak should be conducting cricket. However, he is wrong by bashing the foreign players just because their stature in international cricket. There is no need to ridicule someone just because you are better then them or someone else better then them. You respect everyone no matter what. This is exactly the problem with Pak culture that people in Pak only respect the ones better then them and disrespect the ones who are below them. This is called the VIP culture and Feudal mentality. As long as someone is working hard he/she should be respected no matter what. Hard work should always be respected and corrupt should be jailed, however, in Pak it is working the opposite way.

@Rozina So that is how you welcome your guest in your home. By insulting them.

There was one Pakistani politician I liked but now I think I was wrong. Those cricketers came to Pakistan, they were our guests. How can some one call them phatechar. They took great risk of their life and Pakistan was the ultimate beneficiery. It is so unfortunate that Imran Khan calls them phatechar. Unbelievable.

He is right, Emrit, no body took him earlier, yes, Samy and Malan were good, but IK is right, its all about money, if you offer them , they will come. Why KP, Luke and others left.

Sad day. I am his strong supporter and I strongly condemn his statement. I am sad because he made such statement. I am even more disheartened because ours' and his efforts to weaken corrupts are going in vain and the corrupts, exploiters will get lot more strength from his such stupid statements.

The unspoken reality is, Imran is correct, None of the foreign players that came to Pakistan play cricket for their National teams, either they are retired or discarded, this includes over hyped Sammy as well, who was not even considered in 2016 edition of IPL.

@Ameer Well Said Ameer.

@Ameer If that's not the case then where is an apology from Imran? which could and should have been here by now after his one careless word.. and if u still didn't hear back from him then it might not be a careless but instead a well thought ONE word.

Some say its just one careless word but If that's the case then where is an apology from Imran? which could and should have been here by now after his one careless word.. and if u still didn't hear back from him then it might not be a careless but instead a well thought ONE word.

Sammy won two T20 cups as captain of Windies, Imran won one, if Sammy is Pateechar than what does that make Imran?

@Ghabbar is back So you call them phateechar? Wow what a logic. Awesome!

Phateechar was a bit harsh, but he isn't wrong about it... PSL needs to stay competitive, no need to compromise on quality.. better amend the rules, if foreign players don't want to accompany their respective teams, should make room for better domestic ones.

@N_Saq Agree with you 100%

International players who agreed to play did so at risk; they've honored us. However, Cricket cant feed the thousand tharis dying everyday! It is phateechar that we have forgotten that.

It's not the matter of saying a single word, it's matter of Imran Khan's position. No matter what are the norms of a nation, when it comes to leaders, some high standards are set all around the globe. I was his voter in previous elections but he just keeps on disappointing continuously to voters like me.

Its appalling to hear from the whole country that PSL final was great. What a ridiculous final game with no climax to an electric tournament where most games went down to the wire. After a truly electrifying tournament, it was a most disappointing final game. This was primarily due to Gladiators losing its winning combination of foreign players who were contributing heavily in the wins. Had this been in UAE, I am sure QG would have won....

True patriot, wants local players over foreign players

I am supporter of Imran Khan but he has disappointed big time.

@Naeem Is he better than Sami Darren who won two gold medals for West Indies?

Disgracefully disgusting word used by Imran Khan. He has just proved by his words that he doesn't have qualities to be a prime minister.

@dean U don't make any sense.

@Akhtar : how old are you, son? Did you ever watch Imran play cricket? Imran was the best all rounder of his generation amidst giants like Botham, Kapil, Hadlee. The outrage over Imrans comments is what's called "PC culture" (politically correct) in USA where people blow comments out of proportion because they could offend some group. Most of the outrage is silly. People need to Stop for a moment and understand what Imran was saying. If Imran had the defeatist philosophy of settling for what you can get, he would never have been able to turn Pakistan into a world beating team. Look at our record in "real" foreign tours under Imran (India, England, Australia, West Indies). If he had the same defeatist mindset of other captains before him, he would have settled for draws and not gone for victories.

Apparently, some of his close advisers do not want to see him in politics.

IK seems to have lost all self respect; hence no respect for others.

Imran touches the new low

To those saying it does not suit IK to say such bad things about foreign cricketers, i say it only suits him because in entire Pakistan, it was only him who said it. If these are not insulting, then let me say this to IK that you are a much much bigger phateecher politician and a total railu katta. Shame on IK and entire PTI for not condemning these comments of their leader. Had any English or Australian cricketer said these words, they would have been labelled racists and very next day they would have had to apologise and retract those words

well said IK.

When others refused to come, these players agreed to play in Lahore. By participating in PSL final they helped to show the world that Pakistan is safe for game and players and Imran rewarded them of disrespect.

How low can one get, and we still insist on calling him a leader?

I think he was referring to the PML, who were making the PSL in Lahore look like a grand international event. IK dropped his sportsmanship and spoke like a politician.

His comments are lame and don't warrant any kind of media attention.

All those who are criticizing IMRAN seem to have vey little self respect and seem to lack confidence in Pakistani talents and themselves.

He has finally lost it. Anything to keep himself in the public eye. More sound than bite. Can't even spend time in KP but says he will next time. There is no next time go imran go

@Dean "Going forward it would be best to make it clear to overseas players that if the final is being held in Pakistan then you must honour your contracts and play there as you are cheating the supporter's which is not right" If that clause was kept in the contract, then those who did not play in the finals , would not have played in PSL at all. The contract was about playing in UAE, so those who did not come in no way dishonoured the contract.

Quetta,s international players did actually looked a like. Lol.. I am sure he didn't say that about PZ guys.

I must appreciate the sensitivity of people who don't someone called with such label but they don't feel nothing someone corrupt and ignorant as their leaders.

Imran Khan is right.....there were hardly 2 International players and that too nobody knows them. There are 100's of International cricketers who rejected from Playing in Pakistan. It is not right to criticize Imran Khan, his gave his views and that should be taken seriously, who can be a better speaker than the Legend, he is a only ONE LEGEND of Pakistan. I know Pakistan is keen to see international cricket returning but the govt and the board should lot of work to restore the confidence of International players. Imran khan is the greatest advocate of Pakistan than anyone. Stop thrashing him...

Don't act like a child Mr khan I say sorry to foreign players by my Pakistan's side .

IK's first priority is to defeat Nawaz Sharif. Everything else including Pakistan is secondary.

First of all he shouldn't be a politician. Its still not late to be a Chairman of PCB Mr.Imran Khan. Rest all the glory you had earned in your hay days, with one word you had flush it like it was nothing.

Very Very Sad to listen something like this from one of the world respected cricketer At least they helped Pakistan to stage PSL final and next time more

With all due respect to IK, he must apologize on what he said. Its a biased and racial comments and also will serve no purpose instead will hurt the future Pakistan Cricket specially in Pakistan.

His party members are defending his statement. How can we differentiate PTI with MQM, when it comes to defending their leaders.

And IK fans are blindly defending this even. What are you, mindless potatoes? Doesn't mean IK is all bad. But what he said is Wrong. #ThankyouPCB #YourLeaderCanBeWrong

Today he put himself with other politicians who could do any thing to get the government.

Sadly the nation is mislead into petty issues. A carelessly spoken words by IK, leaked by a disgusting journalist is the main issue, the journalist must have sold his information. Probably IK should boycott the journalist.

@Ameer Don't trust the media. PTI and Imran Khkan remain ever popular with patriotic Pakistanis. The PSL final was a political stunt with security forces outnumbering spectators.

I think most people misunderstood IK when he labelled foreign players as 'Phateechar' As PSL was not an international tournament in any way as it was not even domestic by having it organised in UAE and just playing final in Lahore wasn't good enough but still commendable. If the big players had participated and agreed to play in Lahore then it would have made some difference in reviving the game in Pakistan. IK in fact is not referring players as 'Phateechar' only but the whole tournament was a shamble if one could comprehend it. IK was right.

It seems he is now frustrated in his just fight against corruption in this country and realised the people do not want to change. Still a stupid comment.

Imran Khan is a great Pakistani political leader and also a remarkable international cricketer it does not behove him to unnecessarily insult some foreign cricketers .

I can't believe that Imran said that. This is a pathetic statement from him. That's a brain fade from him. He should apologise immediately. I admire all the foreign players who came to play.

I agree with him. So much made of this match as if it was a final of the world cup. These are non entities in the cricket world. Are we just settling for the third tier players and claim to have recouped all that cricket has lost in Pakistan.

Did not follow PSL..Went through the list of players now.... Honestly don't recognize a single name. The way he said it was wrong but the feeling is true.

Bad choice of words from a leader, but fair to say that this final once bring police to thirsty cricket fans, but has no value in improving cricket for Pakistan as a nation.

@Sid The common sense and practice in our culture is that you always treat your guests with respect and love and make them feel most welcomed and do what is humanly possible to look after them . Our love and respect is not dependent on their records and skills. Your and Imran's commentd are unfair and below the belt.

People making fun of it are realy too small and lots of free time as always Pakistanis have.

@Sunil Varma 100% agreed.

@Copper ,off the record ? Most of the Ataf's comments were to be off the record. Why make such comments if you have to blame it on someone else's. What wise people say Tulo phir boolo. But you have be be smart to do so.

Pakistani People try hard to make mountain out of a mole hill.They forget larger issues and attentive more towards mockery.

It is disrespectful and careless remarks. He should apologize. It doesn't make him small and we still respect and like him.

@Naeem ,You have to shaw respect to your guest regardless of their talents. Also, remember no International players were willing to come to Pakistan before this event. Now Zimbabwe is ready to sand the team ICC is ready to arrange some games in Pakistan. It is all happening because of these Pateecher players. The problem for Imran is he just can not see Pakistan prosper under any other Government but his own future utopian dictatorship.

What I don't get is that people are saying that he said this in a private setting, hmmmmm, he was addressing a press conference, I don't think it was that private. IK grow up please, here in Canada and other western countries people are laughing. On a side note, thank you to all the players that played in the PSL and especially those one that played in the final. Love you guys and you rock the final.

the choice is between phateecher and the corrupt. my choice is still phateecher.

@Ameer he is arrogant and a leader shouldn't be.

@Naeem calling your guests pateechar is not our culture and against our values. He should be thankful to them because they came to pak entetrained people at a time when almost everyone refused.

IK you have brought yourself down. I think these foreign players who came to Pakistan when no one else want to come here and play. these players deserve more respect than those who never come. What happen to you bro seriously? I thought you were a nice guy but now I have to think again...

@Naeem If cricketers dare to play in Pakistan, they are heroes.

IK is losing it. I know he criticizes everything that is not done by him but this comment is beyond stupidity

@Ameer , dear that is the game which has made Imran Khan known to the world and earned pride for Pakistan. If IK has said something wrong simply call it a wrong, so simple.

Imran is cricket professional and his evaluation must be respected. He used plain language for ordinary people to understand who the expertise of the players. Fida

@Ameer Well said .

@Ameer this is not one word. he always insults other. he doesnt know how to talk. always belittling others. if he is a leader which he claims then he should stand tall.

This is most unbe coming especially from a person who claims to be a national leader. Those who came to play in Pakistan, were in fact our guests. The word 'phateechar' used by Imran Khan for those wonderful people/cricketers is insulting. Imran must take back his words and apologize.

Imran just lost the 2018 Elections! Sorry Pakistan.

Very foolish comment

A person who oppose those who bring happiness and progress in our country is not patriot and has a name of rebel. And IK's words illuminate his character. I am Pakistani and i Love Pakistan's progress whoever do/done.

@Ameer BINGO! :) What is there in bollywood and cricket? A bunch of guys dancing around the bushes.

@Ameer Are you actually trying to say that we should overlook racist remarks ? He knows very well that most of the players were from West Indies and NOT Africa. I am not saying PML-N isn't a Punjab-based party that solely works for the benefit of industrialists in Northern Punjab. But there is no excuse for racist remarks, period. He should apologize and accept that he made a mistake.

an overrated cricket and an overrated politician.. IK is always on the wrong side..

@Hyder Imran's history is full of such stupid statements and stupid actions. It is no surprise.

Thousands died of malnutrituin in Thar but twitter was silent. 'Phateechar' priorities

let me describe Imran Khan in three words. "Imran Khan Trump " that what hes becoming

@Mark You know them or not but nobody has a right to disgrace someone. These players of whatever caliber came to play in Pakistan in adverse conditions and that should be respected and appriciated. However for this one needs to be gentleman.

We are not saddened by word phateechar but that how a legend can use such low class words .

These Phateechar players did not hurts, dent Pakistan/Pakistani but your statement hurts many Pakistani. You are a great man but many times your words selection hurt us.

IK you have hit the pits. Such a degrading comment was not expected at least from you. We all must appreciate all those foreign players who came to play or even watch the match in Lahore as our law and order situation is pretty gloomy.

Frankly he is partially right. Look at the galaxy of international stars who participated in PSL. You will get the answers

@Iqbal But Sammy has also won a World Cup and he is on of the best players around. As a captain he is equal to Imran. Sadly, Imran Khan has a very big ego .He should show respect for players like Sammy, Marlon Sameuls, Jordan etc. He thinks he is the only one in Pakistan who knows cricket.

Imran Khan is the only sensible leader in Pakistan....listen to him.

We should consider that the idea of making teams on local level to boost interest of local people had always been propagated by no one else but Imran Khan. At least we should give him some credit rather than criticizing him.

@Ameer IK is always appreciated for all the good work he does, but one should be able to take criticism on wrongful acts and show courage to accept his mistakes. Whatever their playing level is we should not disrespect anyone especially those who were our Guests.

@Paggri sambhal The truth hurts. Imran is right. The players are all retured ones.

if Imran Khan is saying they are phateechar, then they are indeed. he is telling truth. all the good foreign cricketers didn't come to Pakistan to attend the event which is a shame for a country. IK is our leader who will make Pakistan great again if given the opportunity. people here commenting are offended by IR comment and showing patriotism but these people are dumb. we need to critically look at a bigger picture which is the current Pak reputation around the world. smash

Imran khan is a great leader of this era.

Have heard since childhood that cricket is a gentlemen's game. IK never displayed gentleness during his career as he was more known for his snobish and arrogant attitude. Remember his '92 world cup win speech. It was all about I, I and I. No credit to the team. He was criticised then also but victory overshadowed it. As its said old habits die hard, IK has carried on with his self righteous arrogant attitude and its too late for him to correct himself.

@Rizwan Well said

Hello Imran: It is OK not to disagree with your opposition on each and every thing. My dad told me one thing and I would like to share with you. He told me to think about what your are going to say, before you say. It was one of the best advice my dad gave me. I am just and ordinary citizen; what I say doesn't matter. You are public figure, always monitored and filmed, you need to think twice before saying anything. In most cases it is better to say nothing and let others guess what you are thinking. I love you any way.

I agree with him that this final alone will probably not bring back Intl cricket. Sports events are not normally held with that sort of security in place. But seeing that he himself used to play this game professionally at some point, it's rather disappointing to hear such comments from him about the players. He's lost some respect as a sportsperson today.

Yes, there were no Test Players of International Repute! Which of the Test Players of International Repute from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, India, Sri Lanka, Bangla Desh and England participated in PSL or played for PSL? Besides, extra ordinary or unusual security precautions did give an impression that the threat was very much there. However, it is very much appreciable that, Pakistan had to take the first step to begin with and it did! Now, the countries named above has to take the second step to support Pakistan in its sincere desire to host such events by providing all necessary cooperation to help make such events successful and continuous! Arts and sports are the two most important fields to bring people together! Sportsmen are best known for their sportsmen's Spirit and the Artists for their articulation. Good luck and all thebest.

Pinpoint Imran Khan, Well Said, now i support him

ik. p sl shd b i n neutral venu.

Mr Imran Khan yesterday you was my hero but today you are zero because of your stupid comment. The new generation of Pakistan had high hopes in you but your arrogance has disappointed & hurt all your die hard supporters badly. Maybe the stress of Pakistani politics is too much for you to handle take a break & apologize to all the cricketers who came to Pakistan for our hungry fans. Say sorry to everyone & never repeat this kind of out burst other wise just keep on dreaming to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Please ik sahabh do not be so negative it is an proud moment for Pakistan love from india

@Dr.M.M.Khan I don't know what kind of doctor you are but you should know under what circumstances they came here. You should have seen records and two world cup wins of Sammy and Samuels. You should have known that they were our guests. You should have known the spirit they inculcated in PSL.

@Neutral good riddance i say

@Ameer what a statement u made. I applaud u. I wish pakistanis would undrstand it but unfortunately many will not. When ever a true leader stands up for a cause history tells us ppl call that person insane/mental etc. Same is happening to UK

IK is so right! No point in getting upset. He spoke the truth and it hurts.