‘I don’t have any hidden agendas’ - Usman Khawaja issues clarity over ‘All Lives are Equal’ saga

Ahead of the first Test match against Pakistan in Perth, star opener Usman Khawaja decided to wear a shoe with ‘All Lives are Equal’ inscribed in it. The International Cricket Council (ICC) however rejected the idea and following which, the cricketer played with a black armband, which was initially assumed to be linked to a political stance, but Khawaja revealed that it was a mark of personal bereavement. The matter didn’t stop as the 37-year-old once again took the matter to the press and issued further clarification.

Khawaja clarified that he doesn’t have any hidden agendas and doing it only to pay homage to the thousands of kids who lost their lives in war. He added that the recent incident in Palestine has hit him hard as it made him think about his daughter. The opener went on to add that he is blessed to be in Australia as he doesn’t have to worry about a thing and wants the same for the rest of the world.

“I don’t have any agendas other than trying to shine a light on what I feel really passionately, really strongly about. What I wore on my shoes was really.. I thought about it for a while, what I was going to write. I made sure that I didn’t want to segregate different parts of the population, religious beliefs, communities. Hence, I have kept religion out of this. I am talking about humanitarian issues. I am talking about Article 1 of the unified declaration of human rights. That is literally the crux of it. 

“The reason I’m doing it is because it hit me hard. When I am looking at my Instagram and I’m seeing kids, innocent kids, videos of them, dying, passing away, that’s what’s hit me hardest. I just imagine my young daughter in my arms and the same thing. For me, that’s the reason I am doing this. I don’t have any hidden agendas. If anything, this brings up more negativity towards me,” Khawaja said in a video released by cricket.com.au.

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan also shared the video on his X account and stated that Khawaja is an inspiration for speaking up about the issue.