Pakistani Journalist Slammed for Sharing Shaheen Afridi's Newborn Pic with Watermark

Pakistani sports journalist Qadir Khawaja found himself in the eye of a social media outrage after he shared a watermarked picture of cricketer Shaheen Afridi and Ansha Afridi’s son Ali Yar. Khawaja didn’t stop at one but added three watermarks to the picture that was met with widespread criticism, with many calling it “abysmal journalism”.

How did it all start?

It all started when Khawaja shared a picture of Afridi’s newborn with three watermarks of his X handle with the caption, “Exclusive: Meet the little Shaheen Shah Afridi: Ali Yar. Congratulations once again Shaheen Afridi.”

After the post was shared on August 24, many Internet users were quick to notice multiple watermarks the journalist had placed on the picture, with one sarcastically saying, “Bachhe ko hatao watermark nahi dikh raha [Remove the baby from the picture, couldn’t see watermark].”

“Mubarak ho! Aap ke ghar watermark paida hua hai [Congratulations! Watermark has been born in your house],” quipped another.

A third user pointed out, “There should be a watermark of Shaheen Afridi, not yours.”

“Watermarking someone else’s child’s birth as a journalist should be a criminal offence,” wrote a fourth expressing strong disapproval.

A fifth joined, “What an abysmal journalism from this fella. This ain’t college lab homework to put watermark….”

“Bhaijaan, ye baccha apne design thodi na kiya jo watermark laga diya! [Brother, this child isn’t something you designed, so why did you put a watermark on it?]” said yet another Internet user.

Father-in-law Shahid Afridi’s reaction

After Shaheen and Ansha gave birth to their son, former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi took to X to acknowledge the messages he had been receiving about becoming the “youngest grandfather” in the cricket world.

“I have been receiving messages full of love from all our friends about becoming the youngest grandfather in the world of cricket. My family and I thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for joining us in our happiness,” reads Afridi’s post on X when translated from Urdu to English.

The 47-year-old is the father of Ansha Afridi, wife of Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.