Nasim Akhtar, mother of former Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir, reacts after the London’s court verdict against her son Amir at her residence in Changa Bangial village on November 3, 2011. –AFP Photo/Aamir Qureshi

CHANGA BANGIAL: Relatives wept and professed the innocence of their loved ones on Thursday as a London court jailed three Pakistani cricketers for fixing parts of a Test match against England.

“My son is innocent and he did the no ball at the asking of the captain,” said Nasim Akhtar, the mother of Mohammad Amir, tears rolling down her cheeks at her home in the village of Changa Bangial outside the Pakistani capital.

Amir, 19, is the youngest of the trio and will be detained for six months at the Young Offenders Institution.

Pakistan former Test captain Salman Butt, 27, received 30 months and fast bowler Mohammad Asif, 28, received one year in jail.

Amir’s mother, who lives in a simple two-roomed home, 73 kilometres east of Islamabad, said she feared she might die before he returns home.

“I spoke to him two days ago and he asked me to pray for his acquittal. I’m ill after this case, suffering from several diseases and I may not be here (when he gets out),” she added.

“My prayers are with my son and only Allah will do justice with us,” she said, watching the television in her living room, surrounded by female relatives,

Amir’s house is located on a narrow street. The village of Changa Bangial is surrounded by farmland, where workers were tilling the land with tractors.

“He should not have been sentenced after his confession. We were under the impression that he will be released after the imposition of a fine,” said Amir’s brother, 26-year-old Mohammad Ijaz.

In the eastern city of Lahore, where Butt was brought up in relative luxury compared to Amir, his sisters spoke to reporters to defend their brother and claimed he had been made a scapegoat for a wider conspiracy.

“The punishment is unfair, it is shocking. Our brother is innocent,” said Khadija, veiled and in her 30s, outside the family home.

“We talked to him this morning he was very upset and asked us to pray for him. His crime is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” she added.

“The trio had been framed and made part of a wider controversy.”

Opinion

Editorial

Enrolment drive
Updated 10 May, 2024

Enrolment drive

The authorities should implement targeted interventions to bring out-of-school children, especially girls, into the educational system.
Gwadar outrage
10 May, 2024

Gwadar outrage

JUST two days after the president, while on a visit to Balochistan, discussed the need for a political dialogue to...
Save the witness
10 May, 2024

Save the witness

THE old affliction of failed enforcement has rendered another law lifeless. Enacted over a decade ago, the Sindh...
May 9 fallout
Updated 09 May, 2024

May 9 fallout

It is important that this chapter be closed satisfactorily so that the nation can move forward.
A fresh approach?
09 May, 2024

A fresh approach?

SUCCESSIVE governments have tried to address the problems of Balochistan — particularly the province’s ...
Visa fraud
09 May, 2024

Visa fraud

THE FIA has a new task at hand: cracking down on fraudulent work visas. This was prompted by the discovery of a...