Plea against spot-fixers: Court gives more time to petitioner for argument

Commentator Ehtashamul Haq has moved court against Butt, Asif and Amir

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday gave more time to the counsel for a commentator who has sought life ban on three cricketers convicted of spot-fixing, to prepare his arguments.

Justice Aamer Farooq allowed the counsel to come prepared on the next hearing.

Cricket commentator Syed Ehtashamul Haq, through his counsel Umar Hanif Khichi, has filed a petition in the court seeking a life ban on Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif and Mohammad Amir from playing domestic and international cricket.

The petitioner has made the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairperson and its selection committee respondents in the case.

On Monday, the counsel said that the PCB was violating its own constitution by allowing the players to represent the country once again as its constitution had used the word “zero tolerance” for corruption.

When the court asked Khichi, if the players were allowed to play again, he replied that the PCB had given Amir the permission to play.

Justice Farooq asked the counsel, if the life ban could be imposed on anyone playing at the domestic level.

The court directed him to elaborate his stance with more legal precedents as life ban could not be imposed on mere moral grounds.

In his petition, the counsel stated that the ‘shameful’ act of the players brought national honour and pride into disrepute and contempt but the influence of the powerful PCB office-bearers was quite visible in the matter as they had kept the detailed inquiry report hidden.

Khichi said that the three cricketers were suspended from playing all forms of cricket and jailed for their role in spot-fixing that marred the country’s tour of England in 2010.

“Later, they were convicted by an English court but would soon be allowed to play domestic and international cricket with the connivance of the PCB officials,” Khichi alleged.

In August 2015, the ban was lifted by the International Cricket Council and the cricketers were free to return to all forms of cricket from September 2, 2015, onwards.

The court will next take up the case on December 22.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2015.