Govt to defend spot-fixing trio if found innocent: Rehman Malik
Talking to the media outside the parliament, he said that the government will see if the charges against the players are true or is there a conspiracy against them. He also said that all assistance will be provided to the three players if required.
However, he added, that the public sentiment attached to the sport has been hurt and the nation will not spare them if they are found involved in the act.
He added that the government will also hold talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf to discuss the matter.
Cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif were found guilty on Tuesday of taking bribes to fix part of a test match against England in a case that prosecutors said revealed rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket.
Former captain Butt, 27, and opening bowlers Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, who had admitted his part in the scam before the trial started, plotted to bowl deliberate no-balls at pre-arranged times during the Lord’s test in August last year.
During the three-week trial in London, the jury heard how an undercover reporter recorded sports agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, boasting he could arrange for Pakistan players to rig games for money and how huge sums could be made for gambling syndicates.
Earlier on Wednesday, Amir made an impassioned apology for his involvement in the cricket spot-fixing scandal, saying his own stupidity had brought him down.
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COMMENTS (36)
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@Adil:
Start taking law & order and corruption seriously and stop excusing the elite.
We already did those small bans and fines for players like Wasim Akram (who deserved a full life-ban for match-fixing but Justice Qayyum miscarried justice claiming Akram was a 'national asset') , Salim Malik (life ban), Inzamam (fine), Waqar Younis (fine), etc, remember?
What changed? Was it an effective deterrent? No. The culture did not change one bit.
Something serious needed to happen, and it's unfortunate it took a foreign court to met out justice, where Pakistan's institutions failed. Now's a good time to introspect and change the societal environment of condoning corruption.
Forgive? We barely hold anyone accountable, be it politicians, bureaucrats, bankers, army men or police officers, or militants, or cricket players, etc...
Seriously, I couldnt stop laughing reading all the comments. REHMAN Malik does have a sense of humour. Man I wonder why Bollywood doesnt offer him roles , he will outshine all the current crop of comedians ...hands down.. Phd SCIENTIST.
Malik is going to send a Team to England to investigate. Investigate what? These people need any excuse to leave the country. By the way the Karachi Univ wants to see you. Something about an error they might have made???.
Dr Sahab whenever you talk about inquires and stuff i feel like you are making a joke. Dr sahab you are great. These people are jealous of you. Take it easy Dr.
Rehman Malik is the sharpest tool in the shed. He got a honorary PHD from a reputed university. So anything he says makes perfect sense. We should confer him another PHD degree for his deep thought and statement.
I am going to form my own military and take over a small piece of land. I will name it "Conspiracy." The only town/city located in it will amount to a deceptive missile test site with a sign at the border reading ... "Welcome to Conspiracy Population: whatever makes you happy. Yeah, we did it, what are you going to do about it?" That will allow the conspiracy theorists of Pakistan to be right for once, raising their self esteem and resulting in less bickering and maybe even regional peace.
If Mr.Malik's ministry (Interior) had the responsibility to prosecute, the three would today be free, due lack of evidence.
like all other issue, add this to the inquiry list with no result back until people of Pakistan forget it. LOL :o) But i don't understand what support is he talking about. They are convicted in UK and confessed to their acts. Only help i could see Mr. Malik providing for them is to break them out of prison LOL
these guys are innocent,with respect may i ask have PCB or our soports ever board trained our players for such matters ????? shame on PCB n our policy makers. huh what we are facing today is bcaz of PCB n our govt.
Dr. PHD You are very late , Amir already confessed . . .!!!! ....
An interesting one from 'Dr' Rehman Malik as always
Just out of curiosity, can they be reinstated once they've served their prison terms? If so, isn't imprisonment at least better than being banned from int. cricket for the rest of their lives? Especially the youngest one...I believe in giving people a second chance. They will have regretted their actions sufficiently by then. And to prevent this from happening again, surely a better job of management, better contact to and care of players is required. Let's not be vindictive, they did something wrong, they are paying for it, but we have no right to ruin their lives.
Usually, one doesn't have to defend someone if he/she is found innocent.
I just say..... hahahhahahahah Rehman Malik... :v
“The punishment is unfair, it is shocking. Our brother is innocent,” said Khadija, veiled and in her 30s, outside the family home.
-- unfair yes, he should have been sent to jail for more
“We talked to him this morning he was very upset and asked us to pray for him. His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she added.
-- wrong place wrong time means he got caught!
“The trio had been framed and made part of a wider controversy.”
-- framed by whom ? zionists? indians? Darth vader?
Grow up, your brother made millions in legal money but got caught trying to make make more through illegal means. The judge has been really lenient in his sentencing of BUTT. And if he was so innocent why did he ask for a smaller sentence/fine???? If you're not guilty you don't ask for a light sentence you ask to be acquitted of all charges.
Its good to see that commentators here have more commonsense, than the people who run this country!!!!
This guy never ceases to amaze me.
@Adil: there is a difference between a mistake and a pre-meditated crime. it's condoning crimes as mistakes that has brought this country to this sorry state and totally shredded its moral fabric.
hmmmm .. you are "clever" malik saab.
Mr. Malik - this is not Monis Ellahi case.
This is not Monis Ellahi case.
So i assume that the Govt and this Minister will class these convicted criminals as their Stratigic Assets in future !!!!
One admitted guilt. the other two were convicted. Dr. Sahib have you lost it.
If nothing else Malik is consistent.
No matter how many goals U save,people only remember the one U missed :s
A man is known by the silence he keeps.
everyone makes mistakes.these players made a mistake and they should be forgiven.give them a small ban and let them play again.the people who put the trap for these players are corrupt. if we dont forgive then we are not humans anymore.
Conspiracy - of course the whole Universe is conspiring against Pakistan. blah blah blah.
Can the interior minister not read newpaper. Majeed and Amir admitted the guilt, and Asif and Butt have been convicted in light of the evidence - there is no conspiracy!
Why does the govt want to spend millions defending some crooks.
When the Nation's Govt is in self denial mode, what hope is there for this Land of Pure???? Someone should inform these idiots that 2 were convicted as charged by the Jury, while other had decided to plead guilty as charged before the trial !!!!!! Where does the conspiracy theory come in???/ These guys took money and acted in their own self interest, not in the sprit of the game, or for their Nation, and were caught blatantly and yet decided to fight it out in court, however they came unstuck, as this is UK Courts and they can simply be not bought !!!! Keep this charade up and in future Pakistan may find that no one want to play with them at international level. Its time that the Govt and the PCB start putting its house in order and acknowledge the facts, rather than all this BS !!!
What a timely notice by Dr. Malik
Very quick action by you sir...its already been an year or so now you wake up...
Dr.Malik, they themselves pleaded guilty and this is not the domestic issue of Pakistan to look for conspiracies.
har cheez may yahudi saazish dhundna band kardo.amir admitted his guilt before the trial started and butt admitted in court that ghalti hogai,maaf kardein.this is the problem with our society,we let criminals go free if they are celebrities,atleast the west doesn't let go of criminals no matter how big stars they are.our obsession with blaming everything on a saazish is what has led our nation to its present sad state.
huh ?? but Amir's saying Sorry for a reason ? what conspiracy are u talking about Mr. Malik ?
Innocent! Mr Malik these three have been found guilty in a court of law in Britain. The crime took place in the UK, investigated in the UK, the three prosecuted in the UK and if sentenced, will serve their sentence in the UK. I fail to understand, what you are talking about.