With Dubai going through a period of mourning following a death in the royal family, detained Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif's release might get delayed, fears the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Asif has been in detention in Dubai since Sunday for allegedly possessing contraband drugs and neither the PCB nor the Pakistan consular there could bring any good news for the beleaguered pacer.
"As far as we know there has been no fresh development in this case. And because there is a period of mourning in Dubai because of the death of a royal family member, his possible release could be delayed," Shafqat Naghmi, PCB chief operating officer, said on Wednesday.
"It might take some more time for this matter to be resolved," the PCB official said, hinting there could be no early respite for the player.
Asif has been held at the Dubai airport detention centre since Sunday morning when he reached there for a 15-hour transit stay while returning from Mumbai on his way home.
The authorities at Dubai airport detained him after finding the pacer in a drunken state and also found some recreational drugs in his possession. Immediate blood tests confirmed Asif was intoxicated and the pacer was detained.
Naghmi said the board is still awaiting the results of the laboratory tests of the substances found on Asif and his blood and urine samples.
"Until the reports come nothing is moving forward. The situation at the moment remains he is not charged. But is under investigation by the Dubai authorities," he said.
Another senior board official rubbished media reports claiming PCB had sought the help of the government and political figures to seek assistance from the royal family in Dubai.
"It is a high profile case and will be investigated as per their law. If the substance is contraband or banned then Asif is in trouble," he said.
A journalist who visited the detention centre in Dubai said Asif is now starting to feel the strain of the detention and also the ramifications of his actions.
