HYDERABAD: Renowned Pakistan cricket fan, Basheer 'Chacha' (uncle), was detained for questioning after he waved the country’s national flag during the arrival of the Pakistan cricket team members at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Wednesday.
A septuagenarian, Basheer holds US citizenship and follows the Men in Green in international matches across the globe.
With the Pakistan team scheduled to arrive at the airport, he too came to the city before the team’s first warmup match ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Pakistan team members were seen leaving the airport premises around 8 pm amid cheers from the crowd, of which Basheer was also a part. Excited about the team’s arrival, he started waving the Pakistan flag upon their entry.
Meanwhile, RGIA police were alerted upon seeing the movement of the public and learnt a Pakistan flag waving and immediately detained him.
Basheer Chacha cooperated for the questioning once he was explained the misunderstanding and introduced himself as an avid supporter of the Pakistan cricket team and came to India for the match.
After he furnished his travel details, tickets and identity cards, he was let off, a source said.
200 cops deployed for PAK vs NZ match
As many as 200 police personnel have been deployed as part of security measures for the Pakistan versus New Zealand match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal on September 28 (Thursday), ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC).
While no spectators are allowed for the warm-up match on Thursday, even players will be subjected to heavy restrictions as well.
A police official said that no spectators are allowed in the stadium as per the request of BCCI and HCA.
The city will host three CWC matches apart from two warm-up matches.