Daily Times

LAHORE: In normal circumstances, Nasir Jamshed might be looking forward to his release from jail in the coming days, but it looks like things will become even more complicated for him. Jamshed, the former Pakistan batsman, was sentenced to 17 months in prison in February for his involvement in spot-fixing plans involving Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and Pakistan Super League (PSL matches). He was also banned from cricket for ten years by an anti-corruption tribunal. He is due for release on October 21. But, despite having a wife and daughter in Birmingham, he now faces the prospect of deportation back to Pakistan. Before the trial, Jamshed was in the UK on a spousal visa ––- his wife, Samara Afzal, was born in England ––- which was due for renewal in February 2019. But, with a court date impending, it was decided to put off a renewal decision until the case was decided. He has now received a notification of intention to deport and been told he would be further detained. He is appealing the decision and will apply for bail on October 21.

Key to the outcome may be Jamshed’s decision to initially plead not guilty to the corruption charges. Those close to him claim this was because neither he nor his barrister were aware of the contents of a recording of a conversation between Jamshed, his accomplices, and an undercover police officer, which effectively condemned him. Once the recording was played in court, Jamshed changed his plea to guilty. By then, though, the trial had gone into a sixth day. As a consequence, there was little leniency applied in sentencing. Legal experts believe that, had Jamshed made a guilty plea in the first instance, he could have expected a sentence of under 12 months. And, with UK law stating that any non-citizen who receives a prison sentence of more than 12 months is liable for deportation, the repercussions of that decision were significant. Jamshed is likely to learn of his immediate fate next week. It remains possible he could be deported immediately and expected to fight the decision from Pakistan.