Khalid Latif received death threats, claims his lawyer

Pakistan cricketer Khalid Latif received death threats ahead of the hearing in the spot-fixing case according to his lawyer Badr Alam. The cricketer was banned for five years by the anti-corruption tribunal of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Along with the ban, Latif has also been imposed with a fine of 1 million rupees. He was found guilty of spot-fixing in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and was sentenced for as many as six charges.

Latif was a part of Islamabad United franchise in the tournament and was arrested right after the opening match. Earlier, the tribunal had granted a similar fate to Sharjeel Khan another Pakistan cricketer found guilty in the PSL spot-fixing scandal. However, the left-hander has decided to appeal against the ban imposed on him. He was also a member of the Islamabad team in the tournament and was arrested by the private investigators after the first match of PSL 2.

My client and his family needs security

Khalid Latif’s lawyer has claimed that his client had informed him about the death threat at that time and also about some other messages and requested him (Alam) to keep silent while the spot-fixing hearing was going on before the tribunal. He also said that the cricketer didn’t say anything as he was worried about his family and now has been charged for something he didn’t do.

“Khalid during third week of June got a call from a private number on his cell phone and the unknown caller told him clearly that if he tried to create a nuisance or resist in the spot-fixing case he would himself buried between the graves of his parents in Karachi,” his lawyer, Badr Alam told Geo Super channel.

“That is why I didn’t say anything but now that Khalid has been banned and fined for something he didn’t do. I have written to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) drawing their attention to the matter as security is needed for my client and his family,” he added.

However, the lawyer also claimed that the cases of his client and Sharjeel were not as simple as it was made out by PCB and its tribunal.

“I get this feeling that Khalid and Sharjeel have been given out a clear message by this syndicate that if you don’t listen to us and cooperate with us you can’t remain in the cricket mainstream,” Alam continued in support of both the cricketers.