Court grants stay for Malik

By Rizwan Ehsan Ali

LAHORE, NOV. 24. A civil court in Lahore has granted Salim Malik a stay until December 7 against the imposition of Rs 1 million fine upon him by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

PCB imposed a life ban on Malik on the recommendations of Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum in May this year and also barred him from playing domestic cricket for his involvement in fixing international matches. However, Malik denied the charges.

``I have never been involved in fixing matches and that's why I have taken stay from the civil court,'' Malik said on Friday. The PCB issued a show cause notice to Malik in July in which he was told to pay a fine of Rs. 1 million.

``My reply to the show-cause notice issued to me by the PCB Chairman on July 19, 2000 was declared unsatisfactory and Yawar Saeed (former Director Operations PCB) ordered me to pay Rs. 1 million fine without giving me an opportunity to make an explanation,'' said Malik in his appeal.

``I am trying to overturn the decision against my client (Malik),'' said Malik's lawyer Malik Shahid Hamid, who has served as governor of Punjab.

Judge Abdul Qayyum, in whose court Malik has filed the petition, has also ordered the PCB Chairman, Lt. Gen. Tauqir Zia and Yawar to appear before the court on December 7.

``I have a legal right to fight against the case because I have a right to play as professional cricketer,'' Malik said.

He said that Justice Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim acquitted him after Australian Mark Waugh and Shane Warne's allegations against him surfaced in 1994. ``Nothing concrete has been proved against me, so why then I have been banned from playing cricket?'' he questioned.

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