Breaking News: Mohammed Asif caught at Dubai Airport

[theguyinallblue]

These Madarsa educated pakistani players..know nothing about the model code of conduct or law... Pakistan has more or less become a lawless place..( not a country it is anymore ) ....and people there do as they wish... UAE govt should punish him if he is found guilty...and i have read a report that WADA also expects PCB to punish Asif Charsi... Pakistani players were given special coaching after Asif Charsi and Shoaib druggie were caught in doping case...so no knowledge can not be an excuse this time.... international cricket can do well without these cheats and druggies...

[Lurker]

Seriously, why are the Pakistani cricketers so intent on embarrassing their country and fellow country-men?

I would say there are two main reasons for this. 1) A lot of turmoil in Pakistani society can be traced to the Superpower game of 70s and 80s. Pakistan was the pawn that was greatly (ab)used by United States to bring down USSR in Afganistan. In lieu for Pakistani support USA flooded the country with weapons, most of which made it to Armed forces and civilians of Pakistan than Mujahideens. US support also brought recognition to the Pakistani Army rulers who had summarily dismissed the civilian government of ZA Bhutto(and executed him). US(and West) essentially turned blind eye towards Pakistani human rights to further their interest and Pakistani elite were more than happy to oblige. Essentially Pakistani society got r@ped at this stage and a lot of issues in Pakistan, if not most, can be traced to this time period. 2) Generally speaking the concept of country is not a very powerful one in Islam. Islam would put religion above nation. This means that a lot of times people tend to use this argument and care more for their own interest than their nation. One good reason why immigration is so much more in Pakistan than India. Think it this way, two great Pakistani spinners - Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq- are in line for playing for England if they get their citizenship in time. Both have made statements as to how they would like to reprsent England. Now call me cynical but I dont see an Indian player doing that anytime soon.

[Dhondy]

Lurker, from all accounts, including the one on Cricinfo, Asif was carrying a small amount of Hashish and a substance called Shilajit, which is a sexual stimulant. Leaving aside the issue as to why a 25 year old would have need for a sexual stimulant, one must remember that this is the third unsavoury episode Asif has been involved in- Hairgate, Nandrolonegate and now Hashishgate. From a purely impersonal, scientific POV, you have to ask yourself- how rare are these events? What is the likelihood that Asif was innnocent in all three episodes? There have been only a couple of other occasions in first class cricket, and perhaps none in Test cricket, where an umpire has directly accused a player of ball tampering. To Asif's credit, there was no evidence of what Hair accused him of on camera, leading to the subsequent furore, but one must realise nevertheless that it was an exceedingly rare event. The second episode, that of nandrolone abuse, is again very rare, particularly in cricket. The ICC has been testing cricketers for many years and no Test player, including these two, has ever tested positive for anabolic steroids. The test was in fact carried out by PCB itself, a process during which many other Pakistani players were tested, but none were found positive apart from Shoaib. Asif's plea on that occasion (along with Shoaib) was that the substance had crept into his system through contaminated health supplements. Implicit in this plea was the assumption that none of the other Pakistani players were using health supplements. This third event is again, the very first time a cricketer has been apprehended at Dubai for carrying a banned substance and possibly the first time any sportsman has been thus detained by that nation. Asif's plea that the substances were given to him by a Hakeem, may well be true, but given what's gone on in the past, this makes a trilogy of three exceedingly rare happenstances involving a sportsman, and you'd have to be inhuman not to ask yourself whether this is one coincidence too far? We all know that the likelihood that three diaparate events have occured by chance is obtained by multiplying their probablities, not adding them. Thus, if we say that there have been 1 in 1000 Test matches where a bowler has been pulled up for cheating by the umpire, a 1 in 20 chance that of all the Pakistani cricketers, it was Asif's health supplement that was contaminated by nandrolone, and a 1 in 100 chance that of all the passengers passing through, Asif would be picked out by the Dubai authorities for a frisk and found to be carrying a banned substance, then the likelihood that he was innocent in all three events would be 1/1000*1/20*1/100= 1 in 2 million. These of course are just assumed probabilities, but you get the idea. However, this assumes that all three events were independent of each other- that is there is no external force that is dogging Asif and pushing him into these problems. Actually, there could be some merit in this supposition. Remember, Hair was accused of being racist and Asiophobic in the wake of Hairgate, and subsequently lost his job, with Asian sides like India refusing to have him stand in their matches, thus lending credence to such theories. Allegations of bias, however fall on their face in the last two episodes, as it was PCB, and not ICC, who implicated Asif in the nandrolone scandal, and the Dubai customs department have no axe to grind against Asif, unless they regularly see Pakistani nationals passing through their green gate with undeclared Hashish, and therefore picked him out because of his nationality. What punishment should he get? Assuming he's set free by Dubai, and I sincerely hope he is, that's for PCB to decide, but they need to consider the circumstances above.

[theguyinallblue]

i was watching Mahabharat today...and in this particulat episode Bhism was commenting on his Pratigya and its results.. He said that every human being is a citizen first..and then father mother..son..daughter... a person's duty for motherland comes before family...and He should have thought about his motherland Hastinapur before his well being of his father... i think i Hinduism..the stress has always been on Mother lady and Motherland... Lord Ram has said that ... Mother and Motherland is always greater than Heaven.. in islam...Getting in heaven is THE ultimate thing and 76virgins...:giggle:

[Lurker]

Lurker, from all accounts, including the one on Cricinfo, Asif was carrying a small amount of Hashish and a substance called Shilajit, which is a sexual stimulant.

Dhondy. I would be surprised if Asif was carrying Hashish. Surprised in the sense he would come across as pure dumb and stupid. I doubt for a second that any sane person carries hashish across countries. I mean when the custom people look at your stuff thats one of the first thing they look for. So if he was carrying it, and I am not disputing what you say here, then he is pure dumb and stupid..not to mention an addict. The second drug you mentioned caught my attention. Shilajit is a widely used herbal drug in India and is manufactured by many of the leading Indian companies, Dabur and Himalaya for instance. It is also an over the counter drug that can be purchased by anyone. There is no legal issues at all. However there may be legal issues outside India and that is what I was hinting at. When it comes to supplements the regulations are pretty scrwed up. What is legal in India is illegal in Dubai it seems and surely that is a big pain in the rear for those who use these products. For example, if I ever decide to take herbal test boosters which I can buy over the counter in USA(or India for that matter) and then happen to travel in Middle East I shall be put behind bars. Now how that is that sensible at all?? Your point about Asif's prior history is very well taken. In legal parlance there is the whole three strikes and you are out. It doesnt matter if you were stupid enough to get caught. Even if Asif escapes Dubai authorities I see him getting atleast a year or so ban from PCB.....I think.

[graphic23]

TGIB, meh. To be honest, more than being loyal to the motherland, I think he ought have been loyal to himself - he has embarrassed himself and has shown that he has no dignity for being caught so many times with drugs. It has nothing to do with Islam I think - we have many Muslims playing for our team who are just as patriotic as everyone else and they've never been caught with drugs, either. Its just as Lurker mentioned, the society in which he was brought up in. Imran Khan, Wasim, Miandad, etc. didn't take any drugs (as far as the official reports go anyways) - they represent their country with honor and (had the natural talent too).

[Bumper]

Asif may not have been guilty of ball tampering in the Hairgate saga, infact I dont believe he was at fault in that instance. But clearly, he is at fault in the other two episodes. For an adult, ignorance does not justify any of his/her crimes. In Asif's case, he's trying to play the ignorance card, second time within 24 months, which makes the reasoning for releasing him the first time, shaky. I fully expect PCB or the Pak fans to play this down and attribute this to their supposed "low moral" society. Asif may get still away, but there is no doubt in my mind, that he is yet another thug from the land of the pure.

[The Outsider]

So, why the prolonged silence on the issue? Backend wheelings and dealings in full swing?

[Dhondy]

Keep an eye on the Shoaib appeal as well, Shwetabh, which is due to be heard soon. There's plenty of ammo there for some special articles by Bumper!

[The Outsider]

Shoaib's hearing has been postponed, Dhondy - too much for the spin masters at the PCB to spin at one go :

The tribunal hearing Shoaib Akhtar's appeal against the five-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put off its proceedings until June 14. "The tribunal heard arguments from the lawyer of the PCB and lawyers of Akhtar, and the next hearing will be held on June 14," Justice (retd) Farrukh Aftab, the tribunal head, said. One of the three members of the tribunal, Salman Taseer, had withdrawn after he took over as the governor of Punjab province, while another member, former Test cricketer Haseeb Ahsan, could not attend due to illness. Naveed Chaudhry, a lawyer, was named as Taseer's replacement last week . Aftab said the proceeding would be put off while Chaudhry was briefed on the case. The tribunal had earlier temporarily upheld the ban in April, but suspended it a few days later so that Shoaib could take part in the IPL. Shoaib had been barred only for playing in or for Pakistan, but the IPL refused to let him play unless the PCB sanction was overturned. He joined the Kolkata Knight Riders mid-way through the first season and dazzled in his first game, picking up four wickets in a sensational opening burst against the Delhi Daredevils. However, he soon picked up an injury and missed Kolkata's last three games due to a knee injury. The Pakistan board issued the ban after Shoaib, who was not being offered a contract by the PCB, lashed out at domestic tournaments, pitches and the administration in general. He made the comments while on a two-year probation after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the World Twenty20 last year. Nasim Ashraf, the PCB chairman, had also slapped a Rs 22 crore defamation suit (approx US$3.27 million) against Shoaib after he had alleged on a TV show that Ashraf had demanded a share of his salary from the IPL. However, the matter was closed after Shoaib retracted his statement and apologised to Ashraf, the PCB chairman, during the hearing of the tribunal.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/354066.html

[Gambit]

PCB reminds me of the stereotypical Hindi movie hero of the 70s and 80s who in order to woo his woman, hires goons to harass her for a while, then steps in and beats them up. Only difference being the PCB hero would then charge the woman for his protection services and make money while bedding her.

[The Outsider]

PCB reminds me of the stereotypical Hindi movie hero of the 70s and 80s who in order to woo his woman' date=' hires goons to harass her for a while, then steps in and beats them up. Only difference being the PCB hero would then charge the woman for his protection services and make money while bedding her.[/quote'] This calls for FoF's entry into the thread with the Pakistani players dressed up as the heroine.:hysterical::hysterical:

[The Outsider]

^Not heoines, but as close as I could find.

[Mr. Wicket]

The Village People have nothing on these guys um... heroines.

[The Outsider]

No progress in Asif case. The charade continues.

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, continues to remain in detention in Dubai, with the authorities not yet having taken a decision whether to try him for possession of an illegal substance. Nadeem Akram, the Pakistan board official in Dubai handling the case, told PTI that he was yet to hear from Asif's lawyers on further developments in the case. Asif had appeared before the court on Sunday, following which the public prosecutor's findings were referred to the Attorney General. However, Akram hadn't confirmed whether charges had been pressed against Asif. Asif had been held at the Dubai International Airport on June 1 after authorities allegedly found a banned substance in his wallet. Asif had appeared before the chief prosecutor on June 5, where he made his statement. Meanwhile, Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB's chief operating officer, has quashed speculation that the government of Pakistan had gotten involved in the case. A number of PCB officials met high-ranking officials in the Interior Ministry and various federal security personnel to discuss arrangements for the Asia Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in June and September in Pakistan respectively. "We didn't discuss the Asif case," Naghmi told Cricinfo. "Neither did we ask for their help in the matter nor did they offer it. It was a routine meeting in preparation for those tournaments." Naghmi also said Akram was optimistic that the case would be decided one way or another by Tuesday. If convicted, Asif could face a sentence of up to four years.

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/354119.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

[Bumper]

I like the Dubai police strategy. They reckon, Asif needs to be punished for 3 years, but will likely get away on technicality. Just keep postponing the hearing, while detaining him, for another 3 years. Problem solved!

[theguyinallblue]

PS: Ludhianvi yaar koi Photo bana ..Asif charsi..behind bars..with a bowl in hand...

[siddhu]

I like the Dubai police strategy. They reckon' date=' Asif needs to be punished for 3 years, but will likely get away on technicality. Just keep postponing the hearing, while detaining him, for another 3 years. Problem solved![/quote'] Sounds like a good idea.

[ludhianvi]

yaar koi Photo bana ..Asif charsi..behind bars..with a bowl in hand...

I would be going way out of my league if I did that :hysterical: My excuse is I am not that talunted to do the job:cantstop:

[ludhianvi]

tgib, ok this is the best I could do :D Had to compromise a bit http://www.indiancricketfans.com/showthread.php?p=423393#post423393