Khalid Latif sentenced to 12 years in jail for inciting Dutch MP's murder

Former Pakistan cricketer Khalid Latif has been sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Dutch court for inciting the murder of Member of Parliament (MP) Geert Wilders. Latif, in a 2018 video, allegedly offered 21,000 euros ($22,500) for the killing of Wilders after the latter announced a competition for cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

The said competition was called off in the wake of widespread protests in Pakistan, which was followed by a spate of death threats to Wilders. Wilders has been granted 24-hour police protection since 2004. Notably, the depiction of Prophet Mohammad in any form is forbidden and considered blasphemous in Islam.

"It was not a stretch to think that somebody around the world would have taken heed of the call to kill Mr Wilders. The accused knew this and his call fuelled the fire to have Geert Wilders killed," presiding judge G Verbeek told the court. 

Latif, who was neither present at the trial nor was represented by an advocate, is unlikely to serve the sentence as Pakistan, where he is believed to be present currently, and the Netherlands do not have an extradition agreement. The Dutch authorities have requested for assistance from Pakistan previously in the matter, however, to no avail.

A few Dutch prosecutors confirmed they have been trying to establish contact with Latif since 2018 but the Pakistan authorities have not cooperated. Meanwhile, an international warrant for Latif's arrest has been issued.

"It's a good sentence, but it's a pity that the accused is not here in court," Wilders was quoted as saying by NDTV. "It is no longer acceptable that the Pakistani authorities refuse to cooperate. I am going to ask the prime minister to ensure that Khalid Latif is arrested in Pakistan and extradited to the Netherlands."

Latif, who made his international debut in Faisalabad in 2008, represented the national team in five ODIs and 13 T20Is. The last of his 18 international appearances came in September 2016. He was handed a five-year all-format ban by the PCB for his involvement in the 2017 PSL spot fixing scandal.