‘Zulqarnain’s claims contradictory’

Conflicting statements from Zulqarnain could detract him from seeking asylum in the UK.

ABU DHABI: A three-man fact finding committee investigating Pakistan’s run-away retired wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider has penned down several conflicting statements that could detract him from seeking asylum in the UK.

The committee has nearly compiled its internal report which will be handed over to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but has been delayed as it is currently waiting for information from the UAE immigration officials that have been off due to Eid holidays.

Haider fled before the fifth One-Day International against South Africa to the UK after claiming to have death threats from illegal bookmakers. The 24-year-old has now applied for temporary asylum in the UK, claiming fears for his and family’s safety.

One of the committee members, while talking to The Express Tribune, hinted that Haider had conflicting statements about his brief meeting with the man whom he claimed offered him money and threatened him. The official said that the statements Haider gave at the Heathrow airport contradict the ones he made when he met the committee.

The PCB has already suspended Haider for abandoning the tour as it violated the board’s terms and conditions which he signed before leaving for the UAE.  But the committee has refused to reveal any information but has intimated a bleak future for the player and believed that the finding report will be made public. The report will be submitted next week before Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2010.