Plaintiff Asgher Ali, a journalist, claims it disturbed his life

Plaintiff Asgher Ali, a journalist, claims it disturbed his life
Agence France Presse

Lahore, November 19: A Pakistani court has issued a summons for former England captain Michael Atherton in a 12 million Rupees defamation suit filed by a local journalist.

Journalist Asgher Ali filed a defamation suit against Atherton who called him a `buffoon' during a press conference after a 1996 World Cup match in Rawalpindi.

``Atherton has been summoned to appear in Islamabad civil court on December 7, 2000 at 8:00 am or by a pleader duly instructed and able to answer all related questions and to file on or before that day your written statement,'' the summons says.

England, on tour in Pakistan, will play the third Test in Karachi on December 7.

Touring English officials said on Sunday that they would comment on the issue soon.

The case will be heard by Judge Mohammad Saleem Uppal.

Ali, 33, said he wanted to give former England captain Atherton a ``last chance'' to write a public apology for the insult but he never replied and that was why he filed the defamation suit.

Already angry after England's defeat by South Africa in the 1996 World Cup, Atherton tried to understand Ali's question in broken English before saying: ``Can someone get this buffoon out of here?''

Ali said the insult had ruined his life and tainted his reputation as a journalist.

``My personal life, my professional life and my Financial life has been affected,'' he said, adding that his fiance at the time had called off the marriage because she ``did not want to be the wife of a `buffoon'.''

Ali, a university graduate and vice president of the Pakistan Sports Journalists' Association, said he was writing a book about the incident, entitled ``Buffoon: me or you''.

``I have talked to many international cricket captains including Hansie Cronje and (Arjuna) Ranatunga about Atherton and their comments are in this book,'' he said. ``I want to publish the book when the matter is completed.''

The incident drew protests at the time from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists. England's team manager apologised in a written statement but Atherton did not.

Cricket-mad locals have not forgotton the heated verbal exchange between then England captain Mike Gatting and Pakistani umpire Shakoor Rana during the last England tour here in 1987, which almost scuppered the series.

England are on tour in Pakistan after a gap of 13 years.