Pakistan's injustice over Woolmer

By M Ilyas Khan
BBC News, Karachi

Woolmer - most Pakistanis are unhappy about the way the case was handled

The announcement by Jamaican police that Bob Woolmer died of natural causes hardly came as a surprise to anyone in Pakistan.

The TV channels interrupted their programmes only briefly to show a one-minute clip of the press conference in Jamaica before reverting to their usual programmes.

But the news has ruffled feathers in the cricket community once again.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressed "satisfaction" over the fact that the truth had finally come out.

'Wonderful human being'

"This verdict will be a relief for the wife and family of late Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan cricket team and the people of Pakistan, who all have been feeling greatly distressed," a PCB statement said.

"The board understands that during the past three months of investigations, certain irresponsible and hypothetical statements were made, not just in Jamaica but on the international scene as well. This was very traumatic not only to Mr Woolmer's family but also to the entire Pakistani nation.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should sue whoever is responsible for this humiliation Imran Khan

"We... are relieved that this chapter is now closed. However, being a significant part of the Pakistan cricket family, Bob's absence would always be heartfelt. He was a great professional and a wonderful human being."

Many Pakistanis feel vindicated by the outcome of the police investigation into the death of the country's former cricket coach. The predominant view here was that Bob Woolmer had diabetes, blood pressure, an enlarged heart and respiratory problems, which may have been made worse by Pakistan's defeat at the hands of Ireland, and a bottle of champagne that he took to his room.

A former chief of the PCB, Tauqir Zia, called for legal action to be taken in the wake of the announcement from Jamaica.

"Now that the facts are no more in doubt, the cricketers should start legal proceedings against those who levelled serious allegations against them," he told the BBC.

Many argue that the Pakistan team should receive an apology

Though Mr Zia mentioned no names, he was obviously referring to some former cricketers, including Safraz Nawaz, who linked Bob Woolmer's death to what they call the "match-fixing mafia".

Mr Zia was supported by the politician and former cricket captain Imran Khan in an interview with the BBC in London.

"They should have first ruled out natural causes before this whole drama about the murder," he said.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should sue whoever is responsible for this humiliation that the Pakistani team went through, the Pakistani cricket team went through and Pakistan as a country went through."

Referring to the DNA testing and fingerprinting of the Pakistani players, he said he thought "it was the most humiliating moment for Pakistan cricket. And just because someone made a mistake, I do not think they should get away with it."

'Say sorry'

Not everyone in Pakistan's cricket community backs legal action.

The Pakistani cricket team was fingerprinted

Another former PCB chief, Sheharyar Khan, feels saying sorry would do.

"I think the PCB should lodge a complaint with the International Cricket Council and the Jamaican government, and demand a formal apology," he said.

Intikhab Alam, another former captain, says the Jamaican police "mishandled" the case.

"What's done is done, but an apology would satisfy the players who were subjected to indignity," he said.

Pakistani police sources privy to the investigation told the BBC that it was evident "from the moment all the evidence had been collated" that Bob Woolmer's death was from natural causes.

"The facts on the ground totally contradicted the pathologist's report that Woolmer was strangled," an official told the BBC.

He argued that the position of Mr Woolmer's body at the time of his death would have made it impossible for would-be assailants to have left the room, because it completely obstructed the only exit point.

"The windows were found sealed and intact, and the only other way for them to have got out would have been for them to transform into an insect and crawl down the drain pipe undetected," the official added.

'Farcical'

The opinion on the streets of Karachi is a sense of overwhelming injustice against the Pakistani team.

"It sounds farcical. Initially the police said he was strangled and poisoned. How can they deduce he was murdered, and then two months later they say he was not?" asked postgraduate student Saad Sayeed.

HAVE YOUR SAY Bob was one of the few westerners who was truly respected here Misbah, Karachi Send us your comments

Gas company employee Fahim Khan Lodhi accused the Jamaican police of incompetence.

"They too carelessly destroyed a major tournament and made so many people suffer, including Pakistani cricketers and Bob Woolmer's family.

"I believe they have apologised for this, but I wonder if it is enough, or in good time."

Tyre company executive Sydney Fernandes said he did not believe the Jamaican police.

"I think they and the ICC combined to spare a major embarrassment to themselves, the Pakistani cricket team and the Pakistani government.

"Had they declared it a murder, it could have serious implications for the Pakistani team," he said.