'I’m bored too': Shaniera Akram challenges Islamabad’s Cannoli Cafe owners for ‘English competition’

KARACHI: Shaniera Akram, wife of cricket legend Wasim Akram, lashed out at owners of the Islamabad café over insulting their employee for his failure to speak English and challenge them for a competition.

The federal capital’s Cannoli by Café Soul restaurant has been under fire after a video shared on social media in which they were seen mocking their manager for his weak language skills.

“I’m bored too so I challenge you ladies to an English competition,” Shaneira wrote on Instagram in response to one of the owners who appeared in the viral video starting the discussion.

After the backlash, the café owners shared a statement on Instagram saying they are "saddened" and "appalled" over the reaction the video gathered.

"We are saddened and appalled by the reaction of the people, how they have misconstrued our banter with a team member," read the statement.

The owners characterised their talk in the video as "gup shup" between a team, saying it was never intended to come across as "hurtful".

"If anyone was hurt or offended we apologise, however that was never our intention," they said.

The statement added that the owners are "not required" to prove anything or defend themselves as kind employers.

"Our team has been with us for a decade, that should speak for itself," it read.

"We are proud Pakistanis who love our language and our culture," the owners added.