Govt to defend spot-fixing trio if found innocent: Rehman Malik
Interior minister says the govt will see if the players are guilty or if there is a conspiracy against them.
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik vowed that the government will defend players tainted in the spot-fixing trial as citizens of Pakistan if they are found innocent, reported Express 24/7 on Thursday.
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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[poll id="552"]
Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik vowed that the government will defend players tainted in the spot-fixing trial as citizens of Pakistan if they are found innocent, reported Express 24/7 on Thursday.
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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[poll id="552"]