Mohammad Asif cannot re-enter UAE after being deported from Dubai last year for possession of an opium substance weighing 0.24 grams, documents with Cricinfo have confirmed
Cricinfo staff11-Jan-2009
Mohammad Asif’s name is on a list of people who cannot enter the UAE © AFP
Mohammad Asif has been barred from entering the UAE after being deported from Dubai last year for possession of an opium substance weighing 0.24 grams, according to documents available with Cricinfo.PCB officials of the time had revealed the nature of the substance, butcourt and police documents now finally confirm the details. Asif wascaught with the substance in his wallet at Dubai airport on June 1, 2008when travelling back to Pakistan after competing in the Indian PremierLeague. He was detained for 19 days before being released.The documents also shed light on the conclusion of the case, revealingthat the public prosecutor advocated not filing criminal charges based onseveral factors: “that the accused was arrested at Dubai airport beforebeing able to actually enter the state, the trifle amount of the drug, theserious consequence of putting him on trial and enforcing a judgmentagainst him, and for the sake of avoiding pressures on courts andprisons.”Asif’s urine sample taken at the airport was negative, however, putting torest much speculation that Asif was intoxicated at the airport. But duringan interrogation with two investigators, Asif said he did not know of thenature of the substance, thinking it to be a herbal remedy and said heused it to boost his blood pressure and energy levels.”I started using it once every year, one small piece each time whennecessary,” the interview records Asif as saying.Asked if he knew what the substance was, Asif replied: “A herbal darksubstance found with me which I use for energy … to reduce blood pressureand gain energy. I have obtained it from one of the public curers in Pakistan.”Asif acknowledged that he last used the substance in Pakistan fourmonths before the case. The sample was tested in a laboratory in Dubai andit was confirmed that the substance Asif carried in his wallet was 0.24grams of opium.”I did not intend to bring it to the country and I don’t know whether itis a narcotic drug or otherwise and I don’t know whether it is prohibitedin the UAE or not,” Asif told the investigators.Though Asif is currently suspended from all cricket by the PCB – he isfacing a separate inquiry for a positive steroid test at the IPL – thereare repercussions for his future appearances for Pakistan in theprosecutor’s order against him.The attorney general deported Asif and had his name put on a list ofprohibited names who cannot enter the UAE. “The concerned authorities inthe CID should be notified to take all the necessary actions to deport theaccused from the state and include his name in the list of personsprohibited from entering the state once again,” the order reads.Given that many international teams have refused to tour Pakistan inrecent years because of the instability in the country and the fact thatthe UAE is a very viable and feasible neutral option – one that has beenused – the order effectively means Asif will not be able to play forPakistan there.Though the PCB says they do not have the relevant documents of the case,the feeling within the board is that this case at least will not bepursued actively internally. Officials believe that if the IPL inquiryfinds Asif guilty and bans him from cricket, that may be punishment enough. That case is currently awaiting another hearing, due to be held on January24 in London, but which has now been shifted back to India.In 2006, Asif and Shoaib Akhtar were pulled out of the Champions Trophy in India after both tested positive for nandrolone during internal PCB testing.