Return of Zulqarnain Haider – There are questions to be answered

As he returns, will Zulqarnain prove to be a whistle-blower or a drama queen?

After having fled from Pakistan team's hotel in Dubai on November 8, on the morning of the final ODI against South Africa, Zulqarnain is finally back in his homeland. He spent five and a half months in exile in London, seeking asylum. He has said he would withdraw the asylum papers soon, as he has been assured of security in Pakistan. What is next on the agenda now?

He had fled to UK on the pretext that he had received death threats from unknown people who wanted to drag him into match-fixing. His actions drew immense media coverage as well as criticism from different quarters. He said that he wanted to expose corruption in cricket.

Immediately after landing in UK, he had announced his retirement which led to the suspension of his central contract by the PCB. Pakistan Cricket board (PCB) then set up a fact-finding committee which could not specifically find any clear motives behind his adventure. But some members of the team staff told the committee that Zulqarnain had a complex personality having weak nerves, and "a person who is easily convinced into believing whatever is said to him." Intikhab Alam and Afridi were convinced that he had some weaknesses as far as mind and decision-making were concerned.

After landing at Islamabad’s Benazir International Airport in the morning today, he was taken to Rehman Malik's office by the security personnel. Malik, the Interior Minister, had persuaded him to come back. "I am happy to return," Zulqarnain said after meeting with Malik. "I have met Rehman Malik and the Sports Minister Shaukatullah and they have provided me foolproof security," he said.

He further said: "When I landed at the airport everything was superb. They have given me superb accommodation and have lived up to their promise. I have just talked to them and briefed them on what happened to me. When I meet Ijaz Butt, I will share with him too. I think no one will put his future on line and there were some reasons when I left the team and went to Britain."

"I had my reasons for doing what I did. I have conveyed my issues to the government now," he stated.

Zulqarnain had vowed to return after meeting with Malik in London, but there was confusion amid reports that he may reconsider his decision to return after receiving fresh threats. He had taped the calls threatening him not to return and be quiet, some excerpts of which were aired on some news channels.

According to Rehman Malik, threatening telephone calls to Zulqarnain had been traced, as reported by a Pakistani TV channel on Friday. He assured that Zulqarnain Haider and his family would be provided foolproof security upon his return. "I have told him we will take care of his security but he must focus on resolving his issues with the board so that he can resume playing cricket again," Malik said.

He claimed that he got two fresh death threats as he was preparing to return last week. On Sunday night, Zulqarnain revealed to the "Duniya" news channel that the man who threatened him was an Indian national. The accused has been traced but motives behind the threat have not been discovered as yet.

In a startling revelation, He blamed Kamran Akmal’s father-in-law to be involved in gambling and asked for probing in that regard. He specifically named Umar Akmal as the person who had an inappropriate and harsh conduct towards him.

Now that he is back, many new questions have arisen:

- What course of action will PCB adopt? As he had broken the contract, what punishment is meted out is the immediate query.

- Will he be allowed to play domestic cricket and then be considered for national selection again?

- If all what he has said about the threats from the fixing mafia is true, then would he get sufficient security from the interior ministry?

- Can Rehman Malik, who has failed to provide security to his own fellows in the cabinet, be trusted to provide adequate security?

- If Zulqarnain unmasks the mafia behind match-fixing, as he had promised, what actions will be taken by the PCB and government to eradicate that from the game?

- If he fails to justify his actions, what kind of exemplary punishment will he be handed, so that no one tries to play with the emotions of cricket lovers in the future?

- The big question is, has he been trapped into returning home?

It seems Pakistan cricket is going to fascinate the world for some more length of time, as the Zulqarnain soap opera may unfold a few mini-serials along the way. Will he be remembered as a ‘whistle-blower’ on the menace of match-fixing like Rashid Latif, or proven to be a disgraceful drama-queen; the next few days will tell us. The future, hopefully, will unmask his real face; hero or villain, cricket fans need to know.