A court case was filed today against Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and two top cricketing officials for attending a fashion show on the night of muslim festival, a court official said. The civil case accused Shoaib, Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive, Rameez Raja and chief selector Aamir Sohail of hurting the feelings of muslims by attending the show on Saturday, the official said. “A private citizen Muzamal Hassan Shah has filed a case of damages of Rs 25,000 ($433) against (the three) for hurting religious sentiments by attending a fashion show on Shab-e-Barat,” he said. The night is a festival for muslims to offer prayers. Photographs and reports of the three’s attendance at the show in the capital Islamabad until late Saturday was splashed across Pakistan’s media today. Newspaper reports cited the cat walk show as a reason for the late start of the next day’s fifth one-day game against South Africa in the nearby garrison city of Rawalpindi. Pakistan lost the match by seven wickets to lose the series 3-2. The court is likely to appoint a judge to hear the case tomorrow and may summon Shoaib and the others for a hearing, said the official, who did not want to be identified. Pakistan team manager Haroon Rasheed played down the issue. “Even if the players had gone for a show, they came back within an hour and this is wrong to say that they came late.” he said. Shoaib, famous for his pace as well as his off-field showmanship, is contesting another court case, also launched by a private citizen, after an interview in the British newspaper Guardian in June in which he is alleged to have hurt the national pride.
