Karachi: Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal's run-in with the authorities does not appear to be ending as he has now been booked in a case where he is accused of violating a wedding ceremony act of the Punjab government.
To make matters worse, Umar and his family members have also been accused of misbehaving with the media which had gone to cover his Rasm Hina ceremony at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Lahore on Tuesday night.
According to Rao Ifthikar, a senior police official, Umar and his family violated the wedding act under which ceremonies can not continue after 10.00 p.m. It was also alleged that Umar misbehaved with the local authorities and the media during the ceremony.
"The ceremony was continuing even after the given strict deadline and he also violated the food act by offering a variety of dishes to guests whereas under the law only single dish is allowed at marriage ceremonies," he said.
The case against the cricketer has been registered at the Heer police station. Television footage showed the police and authorities questioning Umar's brothers, Kamran and Adnan and other relatives but apparently Umar left with his bride as the arguments were going on.
Sources said that police had also gone to his residence to arrest the cricketer but anticipating this, Umar and his bride shifted to an unknown location after midnight. "It is a serious offence as his family members also misbehaved when the raid was carried out. The police arrested four persons belonging to the caterers and the owner of the farmhouse but Umar avoided arrest," another police official said.
This is not the first time that Umar had been caught in a controversy or been booked by the police. In February he clashed with a traffic warden in the Gulberg area after violating a traffic signal and this led to the registration of a case against him for also tearing the uniform of the warden and misbehaving with him.
After spending a day at the Gulberg police station, Umar was released on bail but a challan sent against him to a magistrate's court. Umar managed to represent Pakistan in the Asia Cup and World T20 in Bangladesh after he apologised to the traffic warden, Zeeshan, who then withdraw the case against him in court.
But a source said, this time Umar appeared to be in more trouble as the raid was carried out on the instructions of the Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif after television channels showed live coverage of the Rasm Hina ceremony from the farmhouse.
