Former girlfriend of Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Asif, Veena Malik, has alleged that the match-fixing controversy is an Indian scheme to tarnish Pakistani cricket.
Indian bookie Dheeraj Dixit, Bollywood actress Neetu Chandra and a model named Paael were involved in fixing cricket matches and she had given evidence against them to the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Daily Times quoted Veena Malik, as saying. “All clues in match-fixing lead to Indian soil. India is the hub of betting in cricket,” she claimed.
She said she had also informed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about match-fixing but no one “ paid any heed to my words.” Malik, an actress and TV host in Pakistan, said that other countries such as England, Australia, India, etc. had also been involved in match-fixing cases earlier, but Pakistan cricket’s reputation was being maligned.
She also claimed that ever since she had exposed Indian bookies, Indian media were after her, alleging her involvement in the spot-fixing scandal. Talking about the spot-fixing allegations against Asif, she said that those who bartered national honour for their personal gains must be punished.
She claimed to have “provided all proof against Asif to the ICC in the larger interest of the country and the game.”