Umar Akmal detained by Pak police at 'Mujra' party
Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal landed in big trouble on Friday as he was detained by the local police over his involvement in a ‘Mujra’ party, reports Hindustan Times. Following his detention, the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) immediately issued a show-cause notice to the cricketer.
The drama surrounding his presence at the party and his detention soon after, irked the PCB, who had already dropped him from the Pakistan T20I squad, scheduled to play England.
The show cause notice issued to Akmal by the cricket board, meant that he had to explain his ‘actions’, which was reported by the media as objectionable. The incident is said to have taken place in the Pakistani city of Hyderabad, when the police raided the bungalow, based on the complaint by neighbours, where the players were watching a ‘mujra’.
Umar was released from the police station after brief questioning and has outrightly denied taking part in any objectionable activities and insisted that he was just visiting his friend’s bungalow for dinner.
The other player who was involved with Akmal was former Pakistan "A" captain Azeem Ghumman along with a few others. PCB chief selector Haroon Rashid said that Akmal could be brought back in the squad, if he was proved innocent.
"Akmal had been pencilled in for selection, but he has subsequently been dropped on the behest of the Board, as he has been issued with a show-cause notice for bringing PCB and Pakistan Cricket into disrepute," he said reporters.
Mujra is a form of dance which traces its origins to the courtesans during the reign of the Mughals. The dance form incorporated elements of the Indian classical Kathak dance onto music such as ghazals or poems of those from Arabic cultures.
Tentative Squad for the T20 series against England:
Shahid Afridi (skipper), Sarfraz Ahmad (vice captain), Ahmad Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Mohammad Rizwan, Anwar Ali, Imran Khan, Amir Yamin, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Tanveer, Rafatullah Mohammad & Imad Wasim.