Cybercrime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned Pakistan cricket team skipper Babar Azam over sexual and financial abuse accusations by the woman who claims to be his ex-girlfriend.
Babar, 26, was summoned on Thursday but excused from visiting the officials due to some engagements.
The star batsman requested the FIA to reschedule the summons, after which he has been asked to appear before the agency next week.
On Wednesday, he started net practice at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after missing out all the matches of Pakistan against New Zealand owing to thumb injury. Babar’s thumb was injured during net practice in Queens Town on December 12.
Despite missing out on all the matches, Babar remained with the team in New Zealand.
The New Zealand series was Babar’s first as Test captain and now he has to lead Pakistan in the home series against South Africa starting from January 26 with the first Test scheduled to be played in Karachi. The second Test is scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi from February 4 following which the two teams will play three T20Is in Lahore from February 11 to 14.
CASE AGAINST BABAR:
In December 2020, police had given a clean chit to Babar in the harassment case against him.
According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Nauman Naeem had taken up the petition of a woman, namely Hameeza Mukhtar, against the Pakistani skipper.
The hearing had come after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Director of Media and Communications Samiul Hassan said that the sexual violence allegations against skipper Babar were a personal matter and the board could not comment on it.
According to Jang, the board’s spokesperson was responding to a question posed by the Urdu daily after a damning press conference by one Hamiza of Lahore, who claims to be Babar’s schoolfellow and neighbour.
Addressing the presser, the woman had claimed that the young cricketer tricked her into love and marriage.
“When I asked him to marry me, he tortured me,” she said.
Hamiza said that she had financially supported Babar when he was struggling with his career, adding that she spent millions of rupees on him.
“When I called the PCB to lodge a complaint, they said that it was a personal matter,” she continued.
During the proceedings in the sessions court, the counsel of the petitioner sought time to submit documents in the court and said that the entire case was based on medical reports.
Azam’s counsel, Barrister Harris Azmat, while requesting the court to reject the petitioner’s plea, said that Azam was a national cricketer and hero, adding that Hameeza had started blackmailing the national cricket team captain in 2016 whereas the police had cleared him in an investigation.
Police also submitted an investigation report in the court, as per which the national cricketer was found innocent and the woman was leveling baseless allegations.
“The court should reject the petitioner’s plea,” he had said.
Barrister Azmat said that Azam’s case was being covered by Indian media and the woman may have targeted the national cricketer once again at the behest of someone.
