Wasim, Salim, Ijaz exonerated (21 August 1999)

21 August 1999

Wasim, Salim, Ijaz exonerated

Samiul Hasan

Karachi, Aug 20: The federal government has shelved plans to investigate allegations through the judicial commission that Pakistan cricket team threw matches in the World Cup.

The Ministry of Sports and Culture had requested the judicial commission to include World Cup in its probe through a notification on Aug 16.

But that notification was withdrawn on Aug 18 by the Ministry only 48 hours later without giving any explanation.

"The commission has no clue why that notification has been withdrawn. Probably because the (ministry) thinks that the Accountability Cell had conducted an inquiry into the allegations surrounding the World Cup," Lahore High Court Registrar Abdus Salam Khawar said from the Punjab metropolis.

The Accountability Cell argues that it carried out probe into World Cup allegations on the instructions of the judicial commission - a claim rebutted by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum on Aug 15.

Salam Khawar said on the basis of the withdrawal of the notification, the judicial commission will not be summoning the 15 members of the World Cup team on Aug 23.

He said only the cross-examination will be done on Aug 23 for which four main accused viz Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmad and Mushtaq Ahmad have been summoned. The accused directed to appear on Monday include Salim Pervaiz (an alleged bookie), Ata-ur-Rahman (former Test bowler) and Javed Miandad (former captain and coach).

Salam Khawar, however, emphasised that the judicial commission would carry out the mandate given to it. He clarified that the commission would probe the charges until April's Sharjah tournament and would submit a report to President Rafiq Tarar.

"But separate reports would be submitted. The judicial commission would not consider the report of the Accountability Cell and instead submit an independent report," he said.

Salam Khawar was optimistic that the judicial commission would in all probability finalize and submit its report well before the Sept 30 deadline.

He said only the cross-examinations have to be done "and if no other issue came up, the report would be ready for submission by the first week on September."

According to informed sources, the Accountability Cell has cleared Wasim Akram, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmad of all charges. "After examining Wasim Akram, Sali Malik and Ijaz Ahmad in detail, the Accountability Cell is convinced that the three players had not been involved in match-fixing and betting in the World Cup and the defeats (in the World Cup) owed chiefly to cricketing reasons," sources quoted one of the observations of the Accountability Cell.

Though the Accountability Cell has absolved Wasim, Salim and Ijaz of foul-play, it has recommended that strong disciplinary action should be taken against Ijaz.

"It is recommended that he should be disciplined in strongest possible manner," sources quoted the report as saying.

Although Wasim, Salim and Ijaz are cleared of all charges by the Accountability Cell, the ad hoc committee still maintains that they would remain suspended.

"Until the decision is announced officially, they would remain illegible for the selection in the Pakistan cricket team," an official of the ad hoc committee remarked.

Source :: The Dawn (www.dawn.com)