In a deeply disturbing and shameful episode that has ignited outrage across India, the Cochin University B.Tech Alumni Association (CUBAA),a left-Islamist organisation, its UAE Chapter organised an event titled “Memory Steps 2025” on May 25 at the Pakistan Association in Dubai, where it honoured former Pakistani cricketers Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul. The act, which glorified figures known for their anti-India stance, especially Afridi, has been condemned as a national insult.
Afridi, notorious for his repeated verbal attacks on India and open criticism of the Indian Army, was given a red-carpet welcome at the event organised by a Malayali association at a Pakistani venue, just days after a Pakistan-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam claimed the lives of 26 Hindus, and subsequent military clashes killed Indian soldiers and civilians.
The event was orchestrated under the leadership of the CUBAA Committee 2024–2025, whose members are now facing sharp public backlash for this disgraceful programme. The committee includes:
Vivek Jayakumar – President
Adharsh Naser – General Secretary
Dr. Ramzana Nujum – Treasurer
Arun Kumar – Vice President
Rizwan Moopen – Joint General Secretary & AKCAF Representative
Beslin Saju – Sports Secretary
Vani Arun – Arts Secretary
Remin Mohammedali – Joint Sports Secretary
Mojith Mohandas – Joint Arts Secretary
Sugitha Sukumaran – Ladies Club Secretary
Revathy Ravi – Volunteer Co-ordinator
These individuals, who hold positions of trust and leadership in the diaspora community, bear direct responsibility for hosting and celebrating Afridi, a man who has made it his mission to malign India on global platforms. The presence of Gul, another Pakistani cricketer during this heightened period of hostility, only added to the insult.
This episode is not just an isolated lapse in judgement but part of a broader, alarming pattern seen among certain Kerala-origin Islamist-Leftist circles, both within the state and in its diaspora, who openly associate with anti-national sentiments under the guise of cultural engagement. Such actions, especially when carried out by Indian citizens abroad, directly undermine the sacrifices of Indian soldiers and the grief of terror-affected families.
That a Kerala-rooted group chose to honour anti-India voices even as the nation mourned a terror attack exposes the rot of misplaced allegiances and ideological radicalism. The “Memory Steps 2025” event will go down not as a reunion or celebration, but as an act of collective shame, marking a moment when a group of Indian expatriates turned their back on their country.
