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| October 15, 2003 | Wednesday | Sha'aban 18, 1424 |
Court summons Shoaib, Ramiz and Sohail to appear on 28th
LAHORE, Oct 14: A Pakistani court on Tuesday summoned fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and two cricket officials to hear a petition demanding an apology and damages for attending a fashion show on a Muslim holy day, court officials said.
Civil court judge Mohammad Azam has asked Shoaib along with Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Ramiz Raja and chief selector Aamir Sohail to appear for a hearing on Oct 28.
The petition, submitted by a private individual, demands damages worth 25,000 rupees (US$431) and an apology for hurting religious sentiments by attending a fashion show on the Muslim holy night of Shab-e-Barat (a holy night for prayers) on Saturday.
Shab-e-Barat is a festival for Muslims to offer prayers, two weeks before the Muslim fasting month of Ramazan starts.
“The damages we are claiming are just a token, the main thing is apology for hurting religious sentiments,” the petitioner’s lawyer Ansar Mahmood Bajwa said.
Pakistani media splashed photographs of players and officials attending a fashion parade in the capital Islamabad until late on Saturday night, the eve of Pakistan’s final one-day match against South Africa.
Pakistan lost the match by seven wickets to lose the series 3-2.
“People are trying to make an issue out of a non-issue,” Ramiz said.
“Since it was a day-night game players did go to the show for just half an hour.”
Shoaib is also contesting a court case for allegedly hurting national pride by criticising fellow Pakistani bowlers in an interview with Britain’s Guardian newspaper in June. The case is slated to be heard on Oct 21.—AFP
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