In a shocking turn, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management committee, Zaka Ashraf, created a stir on live television by leaking Babar Azam’s personal WhatsApp messages. This incident has sparked ethical concerns, as it remains unclear whether Pakistan’s cricket captain, Babar Azam, permitted his private messages to be shared publicly.
The incident unfolded late on a Sunday, catching the cricketing world by surprise. Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chief, allegedly chose to share private WhatsApp messages with the public. This decision raised questions about the privacy and consent of the involved parties.
The controversy started with claims made by former Pakistani cricket team wicketkeeper Rashid Latif on a Saturday. According to Latif, Babar Azam had been attempting to reach out to Zaka Ashraf, but his efforts were being ignored. This situation led to speculation and a heated debate regarding the communication between the cricket captain and the PCB management committee head.
In response to the allegations, Zaka Ashraf vehemently denied direct communication between him and Babar Azam. He explained, “He [Latif] says that I don’t pick up his [Babar’s] call. He’s never given me a call. The chief operating officer or the director of international cricket is expected to speak with the team’s captain.”
Despite his denial, Ashraf took a rather unusual step to support his stance. During an interview with a local news channel, he provided a private WhatsApp conversation between PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, Salman Naseer, and Babar Azam. This conversation was broadcast live on television, further intensifying the debate.
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In the WhatsApp chat, Naseer asked Babar Azam, “Babar, there’s also been news circulating on TV and social media that you have been calling Chairman and he’s not answering. Have you lately given him a call?” To this, Babar responded, “Salam Salman bhai, I have not made any call to sir.”
Shameful act done by @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL by leaking Babar Azam private WhatsApp messages on national tv. I agree on the manager conflict of interest bit but doing this is utter shameful act expected better from Mr Waseem badmi.@WaseemBadamipic.twitter.com/6Y0chDPXjH
— Mustafa (@Mustafasays_) October 29, 2023
The situation raised an important question: Did Babar Azam provide consent for his private communication to be disclosed on live television? This breach of privacy and ethics came under scrutiny from various quarters.
My humble thoughts on Babar Azam – Zaka Ashraf issue 🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/g7RwamSP54
— Waseem Badami (@WaseemBadami) October 29, 2023
Subsequently, the program host, Waseem Badami, approached social media to address the issue. He posted a video apologizing for the mistake and disclosing the WhatsApp exchange with Babar Azam. Badami explained that they initially hesitated to make the conversation public but decided to do so after obtaining permission from the PCB chief. However, he emphasized that airing the chat was a mistake, and he sincerely apologized for it.
