Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider on Thursday abandoned plans to return to the country later this week from London, saying he had received more death threats. “I received death threats from a Pakistani caller Wednesday night and that made me abandon my plans to return home because I don’t feel secure,” Haider told Pakistani channel Geo.
The 24-year-old fled to Britain in November last year citing death threats from match-fixers. “The man threatened me saying, ‘You are coming back despite being told not to come, you are responsible for the consequences’,” Haider said of the latest threat. He said he had informed London police about the calls and would again seek political asylum. Earlier this week Haider met Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik and, after getting safety assurances for himself and his family, agreed to return home on April 24. He had also decided to withdraw his asylum request.
Haider was part of the Pakistan team in the series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates when he went missing on the day of the fifth and final one-day match on November 8. He fled for London and announced his retirement from international cricket. A week later he applied for asylum. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) terminated his contract and formed a committee to establish the facts surrounding his disappearance, which described him as “mentally ill”.
