IT has been reported in the press that Azharuddin, a former Indian test cricketer, has now decided to enter politics.

Following his decision to join the Congress Party, he has been accepted into the fold by its leader.

In its long political history the Congress Party can rightly boast of stalwarts like Mahatama Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Patel, V.P. Menon, and Indira Gandhi as its leaders who played a major role in shaping the future course of India.

They are still regarded and seen as the icons of politics by a great majority of Indians.

In direct contrast to these great leaders, the decision of the leader of the Congress Party to accept Azharuddin must have surprised many. Let us see why?

Azharuddin has been known as one of the pioneers of match-fixing in the game of cricket. While making a confessional statement, South African captain Hansie Cronje had categorically named Azharuddin as the one who introduced him to the bookies.

After having probed the match-fixing allegations against him, India`s premier investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, had published the following report

“It is clear that Azharuddin contributed substantially towards expanding the bookie-player nexus in Indian cricket. The inquiry has disclosed that he received large sums of money from the betting syndicates to fix matches.

“There is also evidence which disclosed that he roped in other players also to fix matches, which resulted in this malaise making further inroads into Indian cricket.

“The evidence against Azharuddin, which is discussed next, clearly establishes that he took money from bookies/punters to fix cricket matches and also the fact that the underworld had approached him to fix matches for them.”

After this inquiry the BCCI banned Azharuddin for life in 2000 but later lifted the ban in 2006.

In response to lifting the ban, the ICC claimed that “it alone had the right to revoke the ban despite playing no role in handing out the original ban.”

It means that Azharuddin has not been cleared by the ICC and he is still guilty of match-fixing in the eyes of an independent international body. In short, in the cricketing circles, of course India included, there is no doubt about the fact that Azharuddin played foul and made money in collaboration with the bookies.

It was not a foreign body, but India`s own investigation agency which found Azharuddin guilty of a high-degree crime.

After allowing a former corrupt cricketer to join politics, how can Congress Party claim to rule out corruption from India? Is this not like spoiling the name of a historical political party of India and waste the hard work done by its elders?

RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI

Islamabad