Peshawar Zalmi says no to KP Govt dinner over Imran's 'Phateechar' statement

ISLAMABAD: The dinner which was supposed to be hosted by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government in the honour of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 Champions Peshawar Zalmi on Thursday, has been postponed, ARY News reported.

According to details, Tourism Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) had arranged delicious meals, fireworks display, Pashto music and a Khattak dance performance in the dinner.

However, all this went in vain as the team has reportedly refused to attend the dinner reception due to a controversial statement made by Pakistani cricket legend Imran Khan.

It should be noted that Khan had termed foreign players — who played the final of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 in Lahore on Sunday — as ‘Phateechars’ (low-level).

The team management stated that the players were hurt by Khan’s statements and have informed the KP Government about their inability to attend the event.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Javed, however, stated that the reception has been postponed, not cancelled and the new date will be announced soon.

Peshawar Zalmi had defeated Quetta Gladiators by 58 runs to be crowned Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 Champions.