Mohammad Asif arrested in Dubai

[mirzakamran]

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been detained by authorities in Dubai on suspicion of possessing drugs. The fast bowler, who tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone nearly two years ago, was held back by airport authorities on Sunday. According to a PCB official already in Dubai, no charges have yet been brought against Asif, though he remains in the detention centre at Dubai International Airport.

Though another senior PCB official, confirming the news of Asif's detention to Cricinfo earlier, had said that the substance was suspected to be either hashish or opium, Nadeem Akram, a senior board official who is in Dubai handling the case, said officials had not yet identified what the substance is.

"It has been sent to a lab for testing but we do not know yet what it is," Akram, in Dubai since Sunday, told Cricinfo.

Akram also stressed that Asif hadn't yet been arrested and that he had been detained. "No charges have been brought yet. We have a lawyer here and he is due to meet the public prosecutor at 12.30pm Dubai time. We will know more about the case after their meeting."

Akram has been in constant touch with Asif, who was understandably "shattered" by the events, but maintained that he did not know what the substance was and had been carrying it in his wallet for several months.

Earlier, a PCB official told Cricinfo that Asif "has been held since the day before yesterday in Dubai. So far the authorities haven't told us much but that it is on suspicion of possessing a contraband item." Dubai's laws on drug possession and use are among the strictest in the region, though the top hierarchy of the PCB has always enjoyed close ties with leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

The Pakistan board was to hold a press conference about the issue in the afternoon but decided to push it back till 4.30pm (PST), presumably to wait and hear developments from the meeting between Asif's lawyer and the public prosecutor.

Asif, along with Shoaib Akhtar, tested positive in an internal dope test conducted by the Pakistan board in October 2006. He was initially banned for one year, though the ban was overturned on appeal a month later. Since then, one of the most promising fast bowlers on the world circuit has been dogged by a long-standing elbow problem. The injury had already taken the sheen away from a prodigious start to his international career and this new development is likely to do so even more.

© Cricinfo

[HULK]

my goodness, if this is true, then the suspect usually is be-headed in public.....
I wonder what is to be made of him then?

but kitni sharm ki baat hai. he has been carrying it for several months without knowing what it was? how much percentage of truth do you smell in this statement?

[mirzakamran]

Pakistan's pace spearhead Mohammad Asif was detained at the Dubai International airport for allegedly carrying contraband drugs in his luggage.
The 25-year-old Asif, who was on his way back to Pakistan after playing in the Indian Premier League , was detained on Sunday and will be produced before a magistrate later
on Tuesday.
Already plagued by a series of controversies, the Pakistan Cricket Board sent Nadeem Akram to Dubai to coordinate with Pakistan embassy officials and resolve the

• Shoaib Akhtar, Mohd Asif test positive for drugs

"We are in constant touch with the concerned authorities. Asif has not been arrested but detained by the custom officials. We have sent the substance recovered from his luggage for lab testing," Akram said from Dubai.
It is still not known which illegal drug Asif was carrying in his baggage, but speculation is rife that he could have been in possession of opium or hashish.
"Once the tests are completed we will know what the substance really is, what it contains. But we will handle everything in a transparent manner," Akram said.
A PCB source said former Pakistan player and Director of National Cricket Academy Mudassar Nazar, who is in Dubai, has also been asked to help in the case.
The authorities in Dubai have conducted a blood test on Asif but results have not been divulged yet.
Interestingly, when contacted in Dubai and asked about what substance had been recovered from Asif, Akram said a small quantity of the substance was found from his wallet and it was a medicine prescribed by a local Hakeem for Asif.
"He was carrying this substance in very small quantity in his wallet for the last four or five months and even forgot about it. He is also not sure what it is and it was prescribed to him for treatment of his elbow injury," Akram said.
"We have sent his blood and urine samples for tests and so far we have not got the results," Akram said.
It is the second drug scandal involving Asif, who along with Shoaib Akhtar [Images], tested positive for nandralone, a banned anabolic steroid, before the 2006 Champions Trophy in India.
They were initially banned for two years by a drugs inquiry tribunal but later the ban was lifted on appeal by an appellate tribunal formed by the PCB.
Ironically Asif was picked in the Pakistan squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh this month on Monday.
The PCB, which was earlier scheduled to hold a press conference at 1300 IST rescheduled it for 1700 IST amid indications that if Asif is found
guilty by the Dubai magistrate court he could also be promptly banned by the Board immediately.
Asif, one of Pakistan's most promising pacers, has claimed 51 wickets in 11 Test matches in his career, which has been marred by injury breakdowns. He has 36 wickets to his credit in 31 one-dayers.

[HULK]

Well I hope that he is telling the truth and it is really a medicine prescribed to him by a hakeem. Cause he is an important bowler and cant risk to lose him...On the other hand what is the punishment for possessing drugs in dubai???

[Kool Guy]

hmmm yeh loog kabhi nahi sudharnay walay/...