Pakistan's flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi has started generating political support to win his fight against the Pakistan Cricket Board which has initiated disciplinary proceedings against him after he announced his retirement from international cricket and blamed the authorities for disrespecting him.
According to information received, Afridi - who returns from London later on Sunday night - has met with Bilawal Zardari and also held talks with the head of the main opposition party Nawaz Sharif regarding his case.
Sources said that Afridi had met with Bilawal, a keen cricket fan himself, in London and outlined all his grievances against the board to the Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.
"Bilawal assured him he would get justice and that he would speak to his father, President Asif Ali Zardari, about his case," one source said.
President Zardari also heads the board as chief patron and has directly appointed the sitting chairman Ijaz Butt, who is being blamed for taking excessive action against Afridi and mistreating him.
Another source said that Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League (N group), had also called up Afridi and discussed his issue with him.
"Nawaz told Afridi that his party would never allow any injustice to be done with him and that it would support him wholeheartedly. Nawaz also agreed that the board has behaved irresponsibly by sacking him (Afridi) as captain without a valid reason," the source said.
Many leading politicians and government figures have jumped into the ongoing conflict between Afridi and the board but Butt has so far stood firm and made it clear that while he has no personal grudge against Afridi, the player - having violated the code of conduct - will have to face disciplinary proceedings.
Butt himself is considered a strong man who has total backing of the President in his running of the board affairs.
news covered by dawn sports
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