ISLAMABAD: A cricket commentator has filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking a lifetime ban on Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, all of whom have been convicted for spot fixing.
The cricketers were recorded accepting money and explaining that fast bowlers Mr Asif and Mr Aamir would deliberately bowl ‘no balls’ at specific points during an over. This information could be used by gamblers to place bets using inside information. The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Mr Butt, Mr Asif and Mr Aamir for five to 10 years.
In his petition, commentator Syed Ehtashamul Haq contended that the players had earned the country a bad name due to their involvement in match fixing.
The petitioner has cited the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairperson and the PCB selection committee as respondents.
Through his counsel Advocate Umar Hanif Kichi, the petitioner said that the three players had confessed to their involvement before the world. He said that Mr Butt’s meeting with PCB chairperson Shehryar Khan caused embarrassment to the country.
The petitioner claimed that it was shocking that PCB had ‘forgotten’ what the cricketers had done to the country’s reputation, and that there was a lobby in PCB that was trying to bring the convicted players back into the team.
He claimed that PCB and its selection committee had been supporting Mr Butt, Mr Asif and Mr Aamir for their own benefit.
The petitioner said that Mr Aamir had the sympathy of several ex-cricketers, including former England captain Michael Atherton. In a News of the World article, Mr Atherton called Mr Aamir an asset to the game and said he must not be given a harsh punishment, given his talent and age.
The petitioner quoted portions from Justice Malik Qayyum’s commission report, and said the report contained details of how individuals at the helm of affairs in the board, federations and associations of games in Pakistan, whose responsibility is to work for the development and promotion of their respective games, are proactively engaged in destroying them.
He claimed that PCB officials have never taken action against the convicted players, and instead of punishing these players has introduced a so-called policy of rehabilitation, which is against the law.
The petitioner requested that the court pass an order directing PCB and its selection committee to impose a complete ban on Mr Butt, Mr Aamir and Mr Asif.
Mr Butt was imprisoned in Britain in 2011 for orchestrating the bowling of ‘no balls’ against England in August 2010. In November 2011, he was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment by the Southwark Crown Court for conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.
Mr Butt was implicated in allegations of spot fixing alongside Mr Aamir and Mr Asif after an undercover operation by the News of the World where undercover reporters paid an agent loosely affiliated with several players on Pakistan’s squad to bribe the players in return for information on when the ‘no balls’ would deliberately be bowled.
In August 2010, Mr Butt was stripped of his position as team captain and removed from the ODI squad, pending criminal proceedings. As of February 5, 2011, Mr Butt is serving a 10-year ban, five years of which is a suspended sentence.
Mr Butt was released from prison on June 21, 2012. In August 2015, the bans of Mr Butt, Mr Aamir and Mr Asif were lifted by the ICC, allowing them to return to all forms of cricket from September 2, 2015.
Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2015
