ISLAMABAD, Aug 7: A Pakistani swimmer who defected in Britain faces court martial and a fine if he returns home, officials said Wednesday as the country’s Commonwealth Games squad arrived back.

“We are waiting for the official report and as soon as we receive it we will definitely take action against swimmer Abid Hussain who defected in the United Kingdom and has not returned,” Pakistan Sports Board Director, Brig Saulat Abbas told AFP.

Abid, a 24-year-old member of the Pakistan army, disappeared from the Games’ village on July 22 two days after the Pakistan team arrived.

Since he was their only male swimmer, Pakistan had to opt out of the event.

The parents or sports associations of all the athletes in the 76-member contingent had to sign an indemnity bond of one million rupees (US$16,500) to ensure no one defected.

“Abid’s parents are old and poor but they signed the bond on his behalf and we are bound to take legal action against him,” Saulat said.

Pakistan returned with one boxing gold medal, three silvers in weightlifting, two bronze in shooting and one in hockey.

At the 1998 Games in Malaysia they only won one silver.

“There is no way this matter can be brushed aside, Abid belongs to the Pakistan army and they can court martial him if he returns,” Saulat said.

Five athletes from Bangladesh, one Kenyan and numerous Nigerian athletes defected during the Games held in Manchester from July 25-Aug 4.

Pakistan sports authorities introduced the bond system to avert possible defections which have marred their sports in recent years. “We can’t do more than this to stop defections and will take strict measures during the Asian Games in Korea next month,” said Saulat.

A 14-member club football team defected on a visit to Japan in 1994 while three boxers and a field hockey goalkeeper vanished in the last two Olympics in Atlanta and Sydney respectively.

Assistant chef de mission, Air Marshal Syed Qaiser Hussain, said he hoped the swimmer would return.

“Abid’s disappearance left us embarrassed and pressurised and since he has a six-month visa I hope he returns to avert further embarrassment for his parents,” Qaiser said.

“We took the passports and tickets of all the athletes on arrival in the UK but Abid resorted to dilly dallying tactics and on July 22 on the pretext of illness stayed back at the village and didn’t go for practice,” he said.

“In the night we found he was missing.”—AFP