Cricketer Yasir Shah no longer a suspect in rape case

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Test cricketer Yasir Shah is no longer a suspect in the alleged rape case of a 14-year-old girl as the victim has retracted her statement, saying the cricketer’s name was added to the FIR “mistakenly”, police told Geo News Wednesday.

An alleged rape and harassment case was lodged against Yasir Shah in December last year.

But the victim has now retracted her statement, saying that she had “mistakenly” added the Test cricketer’s name to the first information report (FIR), the police said.

“Yasir Shah has no link to the alleged rape case […] the complainant has also requested to remove Yasir Shah’s name from the case,” police said in a preliminary report.

‘Truth has prevailed’

After the development, the Test cricketer said “the truth” has prevailed and that he would be filing a defamation case against those involved in filing a case against him.

“The harassment case against me has been dismissed with the support and prayers of my fans, family, and PCB. It would not have been possible without their trust.”

The cricketer said he was a representative of Pakistan and defaming him was tantamount to “defaming the country”. He said he was “devastated” but refrained from personal vendettas and intended to take this through the courts of law to “expose the truth”.

“Only the haters of the country can stoop so low and do things like this for personal interests,” he added.

FIR against Yasir Shah

The Test cricketer was named in a case — registered at Islamabad’s Shalimar Police Station — for allegedly aiding in the rape and harassment of a 14-year-old girl on December 19, 2021.

In the FIR, the girl had said that Yasir’s friend, Farhan, had allegedly raped her at gunpoint, filmed her ordeal, and harassed her.

“When I approached Yasir on WhatsApp and told him about the incident, he made fun of me and said that he likes underage girls,” the complainant had alleged in the FIR.

The girl had further alleged that the Test cricketer had warned her of “dire consequences” if she approached the authorities over the incident.

“Yasir Shah said that he was a very influential person and that he knew a high-ranking official […] Yasir Shah and Farhan make videos and rape underage girls,” she had alleged.

The complainant had added that when she approached the police, “the national cricketer proposed to buy me a flat and bear my expenses for the next 18 years”.