Although police remain tight-lipped, they said the phone records of bookies and players showed they were in touch with two Dubai-based bookies, Sunil Abhay Chandani alias Sunil Dubai and Suresh Nagar alias Junior Kolkata.

They added that evidence in their possession suggests both Chandani and Nagar acted as a link between bookies in India and Karachi and Lahore based bookies. Investigators of the Special Cell of police pointed out that Chandani travelled between New Delhi, Mumbai, Dubai and London.

Meanwhile, consternation in India over the spot fixing scandal refused to die as more sordid details about the multi-billion dollar IPL cash cow were revealed.

The principal manipulator of the scandal, Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth, it is now known, used a towel to signal the bookies when they should place bets. Although police sources said all three players playing for the Rajasthan Royal franchise – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chava confessed – their lawyers hotly contested this.

Sreesanth’s lawyer, Deepak Prakash, voiced doubt about the credibility of the evidence. “My client has no idea of what was going on. The charges are frivolous and baseless. Sreesanth has not spoken to any of the bookies. There are no tapes which have his voice,” he said, in reference to apparent recordings of his client speaking to the bookmakers.

On the infamous towel, Prakash said the “towel is a lucky charm for Sreesanth. He has worn one in 90% of his matches. It is no evidence.” When asked why Sreesanth did not wear it in the first over he bowled, Prakash replied, “Only when you sweat will you ask for a towel. In the first over, there was no sweat.”

More than 20 people have also been arrested all over India in connection to the scandal for questioning.

Rajasthan Royals team management, including the owners – actress Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra and captain Rahul Dravid may be called for an inquiry “if there is a need,” according to senior New Delhi police officials.

The role of the team management has come into focus after spinner Chandila’s lawyer alleged it was aware of players being approached by bookies.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also asked New Delhi police to share evidence and call records of the three players to verify their claims.  Many players, current and former, have suggested that the culprits be banned from cricket for life.

Cases are being prepared under the Organised Crimes Act which could imprison a convicted person for a maximum seven-year period.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.

The arrested players all belonged to the Jaipur-based Rajasthan Royals, one of the top teams this season. The police also arrested 11 bookies, who allegedly paid over INR 1.2 crore ($ 0.2 million) to the three players for bowling one ‘fixed’ over each in three matches held over the past 10 days.

A significant amount of cash was recovered from the accused and links with the underworld are being probed, according to the police.

Spot fixing refers to the fixing of particular spots in a match, such as the outcome of a ball or an over as against match-fixing, which seeks to fix the outcome of the match itself.

As the credibility of the keenly-contested matches and last-ball finishes took a hit, the damage to Brand IPL seemed inevitable. The degree of the damage could depend on extent of the rot, said experts.

T Gangadhar, the MD of media agency MEC India said, “If the allegations are true, it can potentially damage the IPL brand.” 

BCCI began the firefighting early by suspending the tainted players, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, and referring the matter to a disciplinary committee headed by senior member Arun Jaitley. N Srinivasan, president BCCI, said, “It was a bolt from the blue. The BCCI is shocked that this has happened because we never expected this. We acted the moment we found out. We will take actions as per our rules and disciplinary procedures. I hope nobody else is involved. We will not tolerate corruption in cricket.”

In an official statement, the Rajasthan Royals also said they have zero-tolerance to “anything against the spirit of the game”. The statement added, “We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation.”

BCCI is said to have taken some precautions ahead of the start of the league. A player from one of the other clubs said, “Before the start of any season, players are briefed  regarding the kind of lucrative offers bookies can make and how one has to stay away from them. It is unfortunate if this turns out to be true.”

This is not the first time spot fixers have surfaced in the much-followed local league Last year, Hindi news channel India TV caught five players offering to do spot-fixing in a sting operation. All five players, TP Sudhindra (from the now-defunct Deccan Chargers), Mohnish Mishra (Pune Warriors), Amit Yadav, Shalabh Srivastava (Kings XI Punjab) and Abhinav Bali, a Delhi player, were suspended by IPL president Rajiv Shukla.

According to police, Chandila was caught in the act during the match against Pune Warriors on May 5 in Jaipur, Sreesanth gave away runs on bookies’ cues in Mohali, while Chavan’s misdoings occurred in the match against Mumbai.

Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar said, “We have been working since April, and we have seen only three players involved. We let them do this, and waited for Chavan – whom we knew is a compromised player – to do what he wanted. Then we knew we won’t get more evidence. So we arrested them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2013.

The invitation, extended to Singh by Nawaz as a gesture of goodwill, has ostensibly been declined because India has not received a formal invitation yet. However, it seems that the real reason for not attending the ceremony is because India prefers to wait and see if Nawaz will deliver on India’s central concern of terrorism.

With India’s own elections not so far away, the ruling Congress government would not like to open another front for itself by accepting an offer to visit Pakistan when Islamabad has shown few signs of progress on addressing the threat of terrorism.

This is especially significant because despite the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appearing divided on the trip, accepting the invitation could leave the Indian government open to a charges of a sell out prior to elections. The government would like to avoid making relations with Pakistan a factor in Indian domestic politics.

Although the government of India, in its first reaction, said that it was open to working with the government of Pakistan (leaving out the word elected), the Congress party revealed its bias in favour of the newly elected prime minister when the party’s general secretary M Afzal congratulated the people of Pakistan for participating in the democratic process in such large numbers.

This was as full-throated an endorsement of the elected government as is possible for the Congress to issue, without falling afoul of the BJP.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 15^th, 2013.

Within hours, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reciprocated the gesture by breaking with protocol and issuing a statement congratulating Nawaz on an ‘emphatic’ victory in the ‘historic elections’.

In his statement, Singh said India is ready to work with the new government of Pakistan in charting a new course for relationship between the two countries. He also invited Nawaz to visit India at a mutually convenient time.

The swift felicitations and warmth displayed by Singh towards Nawaz has rarely been seen towards other newly elected leaders in Pakistan and comes at a time when hopes of reviving talks between the two countries were fading.

While the exchange of messages show significant forward movement towards restoring relations, which were marred by the 2009 Mumbai terrorist attacks, it remains to be seen whether the Indian premier will make a break from his previously stated position of not visiting Pakistan until that country addresses the issue of militancy.

With just a six-month window before India goes to polls, further progress on initial warming of relations will depend on how quickly the new government can put together a foreign policy team and address its manifesto promise of setting up a commission on the Kargil debacle and sharing the report with India.

Earlier, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid virtually congratulated Nawaz Sharif on securing victory in the elections even before all the results were declared.

“India welcomes whatever result that comes out of a democratic election. Our government has had relations with Nawaz Sharif,” Khurshid told television channels. “I hope we can continue to have good relations if he [Nawaz] comes to power,” he added.

It may be recalled that it was Nawaz Sharif and then Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had jointly began the process of normalisation of India-Pakistan relations.

The Afghan front

Pakistan’s western neighbour Afghanistan too reacted to the results of the elections when President Hamid Karzai called on the incoming government to help negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan that has ravaged his country for nearly 12 years.

“We hope that the government paves the way for peace and brotherhood with Afghanistan and cooperates in fighting terrorism and sincerely rooting out terrorist sanctuaries,” said Karzai in a statement.

Equal partners

President Barack Obama congratulated Pakistan on its parliamentary elections and said Washington was ready to work ‘as equal partners’ with the government that emerges.

“My administration looks forward to continuing our cooperation with the Pakistani government that emerges from this election as equal partners in supporting a more stable, secure, and prosperous future for the people of Pakistan,” Obama said in a statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2013.

NEW DEHLI: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Nawaz Sharif’s victory would be good for India-Pakistan relations, Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said while virtually congratulating Nawaz  on coming to power even before all the results were declared.

“India welcomes whatever result that comes out of a democratic election,” Khurshid told television channels as results began to come in.

“Our government has had relations with Nawaz Sharif. Congratulations will also be offered from Prime Minister’s (if he wins).”

“I hope we can continue to have good relations [with Pakistan] if he comes to power,” he said.

It may be recalled that it was during Nawaz Sharif’s government that Kargil incursions by Pakistan took place, ultimately leading to a US-brokered settlement.

Sharif always claimed that he had no hand in the salami-slicing operations which were a brainchild of the Pakistan Army, but India has an open mind on this issue.

It was Sharif and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who jointly began the process of normalisation of India-Pakistan relations.

Now, as Pakistan has had elections and India goes for general elections next year, a lot depends on the kind of regime India will get and what its attitude towards Pakistan would be.

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party, currently in opposition, and the Congress would like to have peaceful relationship with Pakistan, though events like the Mumbai attacks have derailed an upward trajectory of relationship.

An official Indian reaction will come only after all the results have been declared and it is clear who the next Prime Minister of Pakistan will be.

All eyes in India are on what kind of stance a new Prime Minister will take about India-Pakistan relations.

The medical condition of the injured Pakistani prisoner in India Sanaullah Haq was described as “extremely critical” on Wednesday after he suffered kidney failure, according to a medical bulletin issued by the hospital.

“His overall status is extremely critical, far worse than yesterday night,” the medical bulletin issued by the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said.

Sanaullah, who was serving a life term in a Jammu jail, was flown in to PGIMER in Chandigarh on Friday after he had been brutally attacked by another inmate. The attack appears to have been motivated by a similar incident involving Sarabjit Singh who had been imprisoned in Pakistan.

The bulletin issued by the Head of Neurosurgery, Prof SN Mathuriya and anesthesiologist Prof YK Batra stated, “Neurologically, he continues to be in deep coma.”

Sanaullah went into renal failure and was placed on peritoneal dialysis.

The inmate’s relatives, brother-in-law Mohammed Shehzad and nephew Mohammed Asif, who arrived in Chandigarh on Tuesday, visited him on Wednesday in the Advanced Trauma Centre of PGIMER.

Stringent security surrounds trauma centre where Sanaullah is being treated.

Following the incident Pakistan has advised its citizens planning to travel to India to exercise ‘due caution and care’ following reports that their security might be in jeopardy.

A statement issued by the foreign ministry on Tuesday said the travel advisory was being issued in the wake of disturbing Indian media reports that Pakistani visitors might face threats in India.

“We have seen some disturbing reports in the Indian media which indicate that the safety and security of Pakistani visitors to India, including that of over 600 Zaireen (pilgrims) scheduled to visit Ajmer Sharif for the annual Urs this month, may be in jeopardy,” the statement said.

It added that the government “wishes to advise its citizens who are planning to travel to India to exercise due caution and care.”

The foreign ministry spokesperson said Pakistan would also call upon Indian authorities to ensure that necessary arrangements were in place to ensure security to all Pakistani visitors to India.

Meanwhile, two family members of Sanauallh Ranjay, the Pakistani convict assaulted in an Indian jail, reached India via the Wagah-Attari border on Tuesday and demanded his release on humanitarian grounds.

Sanaullah’s brother-in-law Mohammad Shahzad and nephew Mohammad Asif were granted a 15-day visa by the Indian High Commission in Pakistan.

Speaking to television channels, Shahzad said: “We only want to take our brother home. His family is desperate to see him”.

The relatives said they had travelled a long way from their village of Aura to Sialkot just to see Sanaullah. They were accompanied by a Pakistani diplomat Iqbal Hussain. The pair arrived in Delhi and was taken to Chandigarh.

Sanaullah, who was attacked in a Jammu jail by an Indian solider convicted for murder, is being treated at the Chandigarh hospital and is in critical condition as doctors have declared him ‘brain dead.’

Medical reports state there was no improvement in Sanaullah’s health condition and his blood pressure was fluctuating rapidly and his other vital signs also did not look good. The prisoner continues to be “critically sick” and in a “deep coma”, according to a medical bulletin issued by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2013.

Hospital sources at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh confirmed that Sanaullah’s condition was deteriorating day by day and that the patient appeared “more critical than yesterday.”Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India Salman Bashir visited Sanaullah amid high security.

The high commissioner was briefed on Sanaullah’s condition by Dr SN Mathuriya, head of neurosurgery and Dr Y K Batra, In-charge Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the presence of Dr YK Chawla, director and Dr AK Gupta, medical superintendent. Bashir was informed that the condition of the patient had deteriorated and his chances of survival seemed to be decreasing.

Sanaullah, who is serving a life term in a Jammu jail, was flown in to PGIMER in Chandigarh on Friday after he had been brutally attacked by another inmate. The attack appears to have been motivated by a similar incident involving Sarabjit Singh who had been imprisoned in Pakistan.

Hospital spokesperson, Manju Wadwalkar, said there was metabolic deterioration in the form of fluctuating blood sugar and spiking temperature. In addition, Sanaullah’s hemodynamic (blood movement) status was reported to be worse with an increase in “oxygen requirement to maintain arterial blood gases.” The institute further said that the patient continues to be on ventilator and his neurological status does not show signs of improvement.

In light of his medical condition Pakistani diplomats, once again demanded visas for Sanaullah’s immediate family member. Spokesperson for Pakistan’s high commission, Manzoor Ali Memon said “Sanaullah’s children and mother have requested to meet the ailing 52-year-old prisoner.”

He recalled that Sarabjit’s kin were given permission to see him in Lahore by Pakistani authorities, who had processed their visas on urgent basis despite a half day at the embassy in Delhi.

“Let us see how the Indian government deals with the situation,” he said. Sanaullah was given consular access after he arrived in Chandigarh. Two officials from the Pakistan high commission, Abrar Hashmi and Zargham Abbas, have been in the city since Saturday morning and are continuously in touch with doctors treating Sanuallah.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.

NEW DELHI: With his blood pressure plummeting, the condition of Sanaullah Haq, the Pakistani convict in a Jammu jail who was attacked last week by another inmate, deteriorated further on Monday.

Officials of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarhm where Sanaullah is being treated,  said he “appears bit more critical than yesterday.”

Sanaullah was badly beaten by fellow inmates in an Indian jail on Friday in apparent revenge for a fatal attack on convicted Indian spy Sarabjit Singh in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail earlier this month

In a medical bulletin, the hospital warned his condition had worsened. Hospital spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said that the patient’s blood sugar was fluctuating and his temperature was spiking while his neurological status showed no improvement.

Sanaullah was brought to the PGIMER on Friday evening after the attack. He was allowed consular access, but Pakistan High Commission officials upon meeting him complained that they were not permitted to take his pictures, nor were they allowed entrance into the ICU for fear of spreading infection.

On Monday, Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi Salman Bashir, visited him in the hospital.

Sources in the hospital said Bashir was informed that Sanaullah’s chances of survival were bleak. According to PGIMER officials, he was briefed in detail about the patient’s status right from his arrival to his present condition by a group of senior doctors.

Two officials from the Pakistani missions Abrar Hashmi and Zargham Abbas, are continuously in touch with the doctors treating Sanaullah.

Pakistani diplomats have also demanded Sanaullah’s repatriation. “Sanaullah has children and a mother who want to see him,” Pakistan High Commission spokesperson Manzoor Ali Memon said. He said Sarabjit’s kin were given permission to see him, even though it was a half day at the embassy in Delhi.

“Let us see how the Indian government deals with the situation.”

They also ruled out medical evacuation for Sanaullah Haq, whose condition slipped on Saturday, and caused media outlets to misreport his death. Pakistan’s foreign ministry, however, confirmed that the prisoner was still alive but was on a ventilator and in critical condition.

In a clear tit-for-tat for the attack on Sarabjit Singh, Sanaullah was hit with a very sharp weapon in a Jammu jail on Friday and was airlifted to Chandigarh for medical aid.

Attacked by an ex-Indian army convict Vinod Kumar, Sanaullah medical’s condition showed he was subjected to “multiple assaults of unspeakable savagery”, said the Pakistan High Commission officials.

Sanaullah, accused of detonating bombs at electricity pylons and government buildings in the disputed Kashmir state in 1990, was sentenced to eight years in jail by a Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court in 2008.

“Our consulate officials have just paid a visit to Sanaullah and have spoken to the doctors treating him as he is still alive, but he is in the ICU and is critical,” Foreign Office spokesperson Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told The Express Tribune. He added that the Pakistani mission is in contact with Indian authorities for his treatment in Pakistan, while efforts are also being made to send his family to India.

Condemning the attack, which he termed an obvious retaliation to the death of Sarabjit, Chaudhry called on the Indian government to take all measures to ensure that Sanaullah receives the best medical treatment available and investigate the matter thoroughly and punish the perpetrators.

“We also remind the Indian government of its responsibility in ensuring the safety and security of all Pakistani prisoners lodged in Indian jails,” he added.

Two top prison officials have been suspended after the attack. India has nearly 270 Pakistani prisoners.

Security intensifies for Indian prisoner in AJK jail

Following the attacks on Sarabjit and Sanaullah, security has been intensified to protect an Indian prisoner on death row in Central Jail of Mirpur, Azad Kashmir.

Shabir, said to be a resident of Poonch city in Indian Kashmir, is the only Indian prisoner on death row in Azad Kashmir. He was awarded capital punishment for detonating a bomb at a road-side restaurant in Islamgarh Town of Mirpur district over a decade ago, in which more than 10 people were killed.

Shabir was caught by local law-enforcement agencies while trying to flee to Indian Kashmir through crossing the LoC.

Superintendent Central Jail, Mirpur, Mirza Irshaad Ahmed Jiraal told The Express Tribune that Shabir had been shifted to a separate barrack for solitary imprisonment. He was previously in a prison with at least four other prisoners on death row.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2013.