Pakistan cricket authorities on Friday banned five women cricketers for falsely accusing their male officials of sexual harassment after an investigation ruled they lied about the allegations.
In June this year, five women cricketers from the central Multan region accused their club chairman and a team selector of demanding sexual favours in return for their selection in the regional and national teams.
The charges were initially made in a television show but Sultan Alam, Chairman of Multan Cricket Club, and his selector Mohammad Javedm, denied the allegations.
Seema Javed, a prominent club cricketer, alleged that Alam, 70, once came to her and asked her to convince another girl to give him favours.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set up an inquiry to look into the allegations which ruled that the five players should be banned for six months and censured the Multan cricket officials.
“The inquiry committee set up to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment by five women cricketers against the management of the Multan Cricket Club has recommended that all the five should be banned from playing any form of cricket for six months with effect from October 23, 2013,” the PCB announced in a press release.
According to the same release, when questioned by the committee, three of the five women, including Javed: “categorically denied having been sexually harassed or having seen such harassment taking place,” while the other two women declined to present their case at the inquiry.
All the three who were questioned were serving one penalty or ban for various offences and that was the focus of their complaint, the release added.