Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Couldn’t compromise dignity of country: Haider

LONDON: Pakistani wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who disappeared from Dubai on Monday, had appeared in a hotel at Heathrow airport later on the day.

Talking to Geo News, Zulqarnain said he could not compromise dignity of his dear motherland so he decided to leave the national cricket team.

He said that he was receiving life threats in response to his match-winning performance in fourth ODI against South Africa and according to him, someone threatened him to fix 5th ODI through threatening SMS on his cell number.

He, however, ruled out blaming any player being behind the threats, responding to a question that if he might want to name any player of the team.

“I was forced to starving after demise of my mother so I can again face such tough situation,” he revealed.

Hero of the fourth ODI against South Africa in Dubai, Zulqarnain Haider said, he believed in Allah, adding that Pakistan was his dear motherland and he could never sell out her dignity.

He dismissed revealing exact location of his whereabouts, saying: “I can assure you that I am safe and sound, not arrested but cannot tell where I am hiding for sake of protection of my life.”

Immigration officials in UK proved kind to me and proposed me to hire services of a counselor but I have yet to reach a decision, he said.

However, he was short of money to take legal advice or hire services of a lawyer, according to him. He was not sure of his future.

He looked worried about his family, saying that his family too received threats so he wanted his family to join him in London soon.

Zulqarnain also appealed to government for provision of protection to his family back in Pakistan.