Allegations of Drug Trafficking Haunt Pakistan Cricket Visits to India

R V S Mani, a former Union Ministry of Home Affairs official, accused Pakistani cricket teams of drug trafficking during India visits, implicating players like Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Mani linked these activities to terrorism funding and the mysterious death of coach Bob Woolmer.

In a startling revelation, R V S Mani, a former official of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has accused Pakistani cricket teams and delegations of engaging in drug trafficking during their visits to India. Mani specifically mentioned former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, who faced bans in 2006 after testing positive for nandrolone, an anabolic steroid.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) imposed a two-year ban on Akhtar and a one-year ban on Asif following internal dope tests that turned up positive at the end of September 2006. Consequently, both were withdrawn from Pakistan's squad just before their Champions Trophy opener against Sri Lanka in Jaipur.

Mani further alleged that it was an official policy of Pakistan to push drugs into India, implicating not only well-known cricketers but also other members of the team. He controversially linked the death of former coach Bob Woolmer to his resistance against this drug trafficking. Mani cited a Defence Intelligence Agency report indicating that approximately 30% of funding for terror attacks in India was derived from the drug trade.