Thursday, June 5, 2008

Asif hearing deferred to Sunday

No charges have yet been laid against Mohammad Asif.

Mohammad Asif's ordeal in Dubai will continue for at least a few more days, after his hearing today was deferred to Sunday.

Asif has been in detention at Dubai International Airport since Sunday after authorities allegedly found a banned substance in his wallet. He made a statement today in front of the chief prosecutor though still no charges have been laid against him.

"The hearing has been deferred till Sunday," Shafqat Naghmi, PCB's chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. "Friday and Saturday are weekends there, but Asif recorded his statement today. No charges have yet been laid against him."

Sources close to the case confirmed to Cricinfo that the substance found in his wallet was a banned, recreational drug, though the urine tests conducted on Asif have come back negative.

The PCB, it is learnt, is still working through diplomatic channels to have the case resolved as soon as possible, though no Pakistani government official has yet become involved in the matter.