Asif cries foul in drug case, PCB supports him

Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB Chief Operating Officer, told a press conference in Lahore that he was hopeful that the matter would be resolved soon and the whole affair would prove a big mistake.

“Asif has not been chargesheeted as yet for possessing any drugs or banned substances. The substance found with him has been sent for laboratory tests after which the situation will become clearer,” he said.

Asked why there was a delay in getting the results of the tests, Naghmi said he couldn’t answer this as the Dubai authorities were supervising things. But he confirmed that he had spoken to Asif, who was detained on Sunday while returning to Pakistan after playing in the Indian Premier League.

“We are hopeful he will return home and if that happens, that itself would be an indication that he is innocent. So there would be no question of taking any disciplinary action against him.”

Express television channel claimed to have spoken to Asif who is under detention at the Dubai airport at the moment in which he told them that he had reached Dubai from Mumbai on Sunday a bit tipsy.

Asif claimed he was a bit drunk and got into an argument with airport officials which led to a brawl and he slapped one of them.

The channel said the pacer had told them that the authorities recovered a small quantity of “Shilajit”, an ayurvedic medicine for boosting strength, in his wallet and charged him with possession of opium.

But when Geo channel spoke to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Director Human Resources Nadeem Akram, who is in Dubai, the official denied having any knowledge of the slapping incident.

“I really don’t know because neither Asif nor the local authorities have mentioned about this to me,” Akram said.

“Right now he is in detention at the airport and the case will go before the public prosecutor this evening. If it is proved he had a banned illegal contraband item on him, he will be charge-sheeted. But we don’t want to jump to conclusions right now,” he said.