No petrol available in Lahore, no cash in ATM machines: Ex-Pakistan player Mohammad Hafeez

Former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez on Wednesday slammed the Pakistani establishment over the shortage of fuel and cash amidst the ongoing political crisis in the country. Hafeez took to Twitter to shed light on problems faced by his countrymen and also tagged prominent Pakistani politicians, including former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his successor Shehbaz Sharif. Hafeez in his post stated that there is no fuel available at any gas station in Lahore and that ATM machines are also empty. 

Hafeez, tagging Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, and other politicians, asked why the common man in Pakistan should suffer because of their ill decisions. "No Petrol available in any petrol station in Lahore??? No cash available in ATM machines?? Why a common man have to suffer from political decisions," the former Pakistan international wrote in his post. As of this writing, the post has garned more than 9,200 retweets and 45000 likes. 

Other Pakistan citizens also highlighted their problems on Hafeez's post. While one citizen corroborated Hafeez's statement about shortage of fuel, another citizen questioned the spending by the goverment on personal expenses while ignoring the problems of common citizen.

Pakistan recently witnessed a change of government as Imran Khan was forced to relinquish his position as Prime Minister of the country. Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former PM Nawaz Sharif, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan on March 10. Khan was ousted as Pakistan's PM after he lost a no-confidence motion in the national assembly of the country. 

Following his ouster as Pakistan PM, Khan launched a nationwide protest against the current establishment, accusing them of partnering with the United States to stage what he believes is foreign-influenced disposal of a democratically-elected Pakistani government. Latest reports from the country suggest that Pakistan is heading towards an economic crisis due to the instability caused by the sudden change of government. 

Hafeez's career

As far as Hafeez is concerned, the 41-year-old announced retirement from international earlier this year. Hafeez, who made his debut for Pakistan in 2003, has played 55 Tests, 218 ODIs, and 119 T20Is for his country. Hafeez has scored 3,652 runs in red-ball cricket, 6,614 runs in the 50-over version, and 2,514 runs in the shortest format of the game at averages of 37.64, 32.90, and 26.46, respectively. Hafeez played his last international game for Pakistan against Australia in 2021 during the ICC T20 World Cup in UAE. 

Image: MohammedHafeez/Twitter/PTI/AP