Daily Times

LAHORE: An Additional District Judge on Thursday directed Lahore police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against national cricket team captain Babar Azam on a woman’s plea for allegedly “blackmailing and fornicating with her with consent on promises of marriage.” The court order to Naseerabad Station House Officer (SHO) stated that “serious allegations of miscarriage/abortion and deceitful intercourse on the false assurance of marriage etc. were levelled against the proposed accused. From a bare reading of the application of the petitioner, prima facie, commission of the cognizable offence is made out, therefore, the petition in hand ––- stands disposed of with a direction to the petitioner to approach the SHO police Naseerabad Lahore, along with an attested copy of this order and relevant documents, who is directed to record the statement of the petitioner under section 154 of Cr.P.C and proceed further strictly in accordance with law.”

On December 5 last year, it was reported that the police had disproved the allegations in a police report submitted in the court of Additional District Judge Abid Raza Khan. The report revealed that “neither petitioner Hamiza Mukhtar nor her family members were blackmailed and harassed by police at the behest of Azam’s family. So the allegation levelled by her to the extent of ‘harassing, blackmailing and pressuring’ is proved false”. The judge also disposed-of the petition, directing the respondents – Babar Azam’s family members and Defense-A police – to “follow the law as nobody is above the law and remain within the four corners of law and not to cause undue and unlawful harassment to the petitioner”.

Mukhtar in her petition had contended the court that “we had fallen into love with each other, illicit relations continued between them for a long time. As a result of which she became pregnant but Azam got her aborted consoling her that he will marry her but it is not good for us if you gave birth to a child before marriage”. Attaching all medical documents with a petition to prove her abortion and illicit relations with Azam, she further implored the court that she previously went to Naseerabad police station to get an FIR registered against Azam when she learnt he was betraying her.

The matter was resolved between the parties when Azam assured Mukhtar of marriage. However, Mukhtar once again approached the police to get an FIR registered against Azam as she prayed the court that Azam “ignored her and refused to solemnise the marriage after he had become a cricket star”. The police also seemed to be reluctant in registering FIR at that time. She prayed the court that directions be issued to authorities concerned to register FIR against Azam for “blackmailing, fornicating with her in the name of marriage”.