Rizwan faces gambling investigation, petition quashed by Lahore Court

Rizwan’s mobile phone had been seized after Pakistan’s 194-run defeat in the Lord’s Test. The Pakistan Cricket then infamously sent back Rizwan, Imam and five other players incuding head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. | Photo Credit: AFP

After Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq were questioned by Pakistan’s National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Lahore last week in the aftermath of a catastrophic Test tour of England, the Lahore High Court has now dismissed Rizwan’s petition against the agency.

Rizwan, in a writ petition, had argued that the Cyber Crimes Agency had not specified why they were questioning him. He also argued that the agency had no jurisdiction over the matter. The petition said the matter was concerning ‘online betting/gambling in the sports of Pakistan cricket.”

The petition was dismissed on Thursday. It remains unclear if Rizwan will appeal the decision or comply with the investigation.

Rizwan had filled out a questionnaire given to him by the agency earlier this week, but still chose to approach the court, saying the allegations were misconceived, concocted, illusionary, and vague and nothing more than a vexatious and feeble attempt to malign the interest and reputation of the Petitioner,:

It also alleged that Rizwan’s mobile phone had been seized after Pakistan’s 194-run defeat in the Lord’s Test. The Pakistan Cricket then infamously sent back Rizwan, Imam and five other players incuding head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul.

The petition claimed that Rizwan was “summoned to the lobby of the hotel where the entire team was staying, at 01:00 AM in the night”. “There, an officer purportedly from some government agency was present,” it added. “Despite no notice with respect to the foregoing, the Petitioner [Rizwan] was interrogated by the said officer and his mobile phone was confiscated from him without providing him with any reason or justification in respect thereof. He was also not informed of any order which, authorized the confiscation of his phone.”

Rizwan handed over his phone “on the assurance that the device would be thoroughly checked and returned back to him within the next three hours” but “despite the assurance, the phone has not been handed back to him till date”.

Last week, the PCB also announced its own post-England tour inquiry, though it is not clear whether it is related to this. The board also did not name any players but said it had “initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally”.