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Former cricketer Kamran Akmal has apologised after making a racist ‘joke’ about Indian bowler Arshdeep Singh on a talk show during the penultimate over of the Pakistan versus India match. He was schooled by Indian cricket veteran Harbhajan Singh.

When the left-arm seamer was bowling the last over in their chase of 120 against Pakistan during the T20 World Cup match on Sunday, Akmal, who was invited to analyse the match on ARY News, said, “Kuch bhi ho sakta hai… Last over karna Arshdeep Singh ne hai. Waise uska rhythm nahi lagraha. 12 baj gaye hai [Anything can happen. Arshdeep Singh will bowl the last over. He doesn’t seem to be in rhythm and it’s already 12].”

The ‘joke’ about 12 o’clock and Sikhs implies that Sikhs are only alert at midnight, stemming from a historical event during Nader Shah’s invasion of India. To rescue women captured by Shah’s troops, Sikh warriors conducted midnight raids due to their smaller numbers.

Over time, this brave act was reduced to a derogatory joke implying that Sikhs only come to their senses at midnight. The implication has resulted in baseless stereotypes about Sikhs’ implied intelligence. The 12 o’clock ‘joke’ is common in India, but we don’t know why Akmal decided to repeat it.

Lashing out at Akmal for the crude remark, Harbhajan Singh tweeted, “Lakh di l*t tere [Curse upon you] Kamraan Akhmal… You should know the history of Sikhs before you open your filthy mouth. We Sikhs saved your mothers and sisters when they were abducted by invaders. The time invariably was 12 o’clock. Shame on you guys.. Have some gratitude.”

Akmal, in an X post on Tuesday, apologised for being disrespectful towards Sikhs. “I deeply regret my recent comments and sincerely apologize to Harbhajan Singh and the Sikh community. My words were inappropriate and disrespectful. I have the utmost respect for Sikhs all over the world and never intended to hurt anyone. I am truly sorry. #respect #apology.”

Apology not accepted

People are in no mood to forgive Akmal though. Comments under his post suggest the remark has left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, particularly Sikhs and Pakistanis who expected better from him.

A user on X said that just because Pakistan is losing a match, doesn’t mean Pakistanis get to disrespect a whole community.

Another listed the number of times former cricketers have let the nation down with similar comments.

Others shed light on why one must think before they speak — especially on live TV.

Users are also pointing out that Akmal’s apology should be addressed to Arshdeep Singh, not Harbhajan.

Some, however, are just glad the former cricketer is owning up to his mistake.

The reason the ‘joke’ didn’t make headlines in Pakistan is likely because a lot of people probably didn’t get it. But that doesn’t make it any less offensive or worthy of being talked about.

Racist and biased language is often so normalised that people don’t see a problem when it is used. It has been ingrained in all of us through years of either being subjected to it or subjecting others to it. We throw around racial slurs without realising what we’re saying and it reflects a lack of education, awareness and empathy on all of our parts.

While sensitivity training should be a pre-requisite for all public figures, we need to collectively work on unlearning the way we speak about people, communities and, in some cases, even ourselves, if we wish to evolve as a society.

Akmal may not have meant what he said maliciously but whatever his reasoning may be, the fact that his ‘joke’ was aired and not corrected on the show says something about us and the standards we are setting as media representatives.

Even while commenting on our arch-rivals’ performances, irrespective of how emotionally charged we are, our public figures need to demonstrate some basic respect. There should be no space for racist jokes or slurs on television or anywhere else. As Pakistanis, we may not have been aware of the discriminatory nature of the ‘joke’ but now that we are, it’s important that we don’t use it again.