7 Days
Dubai, Jun 6: Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif appeared before a Dubai prosecutor yesterday on charges of possessing an illegal substance and will remain in detention until at least Sunday, an official said. Asif, 25, has protested his innocence after being seized at Dubai airport last Sunday while returning home from India after featuring in a domestic cricket event.
“Asif appeared before the prosecutor yesterday and recorded a statement in which he said the drug found in his possession was a medicine given to him by a hakim (herbal medicine man) in Pakistan,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said. “Since Friday and Saturday are holidays here in Dubai, we expect a decision on Sunday,” the official said.
PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said the board had received medical reports on Asif ordered by Dubai authorities “but it is not proper for us to disclose their nature”.