Former Pakistani cricketer Khalid Latif has joined politics and decided to contest the upcoming general election for a Sindh Assembly seat in Karachi’s Malir constituency.
According to the media reports, the 38-year-old cricketer said, ‘’Cricketers are role models for people. So it is mandatory for them to contribute to people’s welfare. The situation in Malir is quite bad, and people are gravely concerned about it.’’
Malir used to be the cricketing stronghold, but right now there are no grounds in Malir.
‘’People used to perceive that the TLP is the political party that represented the Maulvis. I opted for the TLP because I wanted to see the upholding of Islamic justice,’’ Latif said.
In September 2023, Latif was given a 12-year prison sentence in the Netherlands for threatening far-right MP Geert Wilders.
The case was based on a video posted online in 2018, in which Latif offered 21,000 euros (£18,000) to anyone who would kill the politician. That was after Wilders made offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is unlikely however that Latif will serve his sentence.
He lives in Pakistan, which has no extradition treaty with the Netherlands. The Dutch authorities have been seeking to question Latif for several years but said they have been given no help from Pakistan.
Former Pakistani cricketer sentenced to 12 years in prison by Dutch court
