Former Union Ministry of Home Affairs Under Secretary R V S Mani has made serious allegations about Pakistani cricket teams that visited India in the past. He claimed that drug trafficking was a regular practice during such tours.
R V S Mani Alleges Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif for drug trafficking
Speaking to ANI, Mani referred to former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and ex-pacer Mohammad Asif while making his claims. Both cricketers were banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in 2006 after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone.
The PCB had conducted internal dope tests in September 2006, and both Akhtar and Asif returned positive results. A PCB drugs tribunal later handed Akhtar a two-year ban, while Asif received a one-year suspension. Following the positive tests, both players were dropped from Pakistan's squad before the team's opening match against Sri Lanka in the 2006 Champions Trophy in Jaipur.
"We have reported a case of Pakistani cricketers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif, who were sent back by the Pakistani High Commissioner after self-confessing that they were carrying drugs. That is what the ruse is. So that is the entire background. Whenever Pakistani teams and delegations came to India, they trafficked drugs here," Mani, who was in the MHA from 2006-2010, told ANI.
He further claimed that drug smuggling into India was part of an organised policy and alleged that it involved more than just a few individuals.
"It's an official policy of Pakistan to push drugs into India. They're well-known people. They're high-profile people. So were the other people in the Pakistan team whose names might not have been named, but the entire team consists of that, and they used to do it," Mani said.
Mani's shocking allegations on Bob Woolmer's sudden demise
Mani also spoke about the death of former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, suggesting there could be a connection between Woolmer's death and the allegations of drug trafficking. Woolmer died on March 18, 2007, in Kingston, Jamaica, after being found unconscious in his hotel room just hours after Pakistan's defeat to Ireland during the 2007 Cricket World Cup. His death drew worldwide attention and led to an investigation.
"Their English coach, Bob Woolmer, who resisted this drug trafficking by the Pakistani players, was killed under suspicious circumstances. All the dots have to be joined. And Pakistan delegations do use to bring drugs. And as per the DIA estimate of that time, 30% of the Indian terror attacks' funding was coming from drugs only," Mani added.
Mani also claimed that a Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment from 2006 had estimated that around 30% of the funding for terror attacks in India came through the drug trade.
The allegations made by Mani are his claims and have not been independently verified. Pakistan has not responded to these specific allegations.