Pakistan court grants bail to pitch invader after Champions Trophy security breach

A young man named Abdul Qayyum, who invaded the pitch in a Champions Trophy clash between New Zealand and Bangladesh on Monday, was granted bail by a local court in Pakistan's Rawalpindi on a surety bond of PKR 50,000.

The spokesperson of Rawalpindi police told Nukta that police arrested the pitch invader, registered an FIR against him for breaking the law, and presented him in court the next day.

Senior superintendent of police operations told the media that Abdul Qayyum came from Attock with his friends to watch the cricket match and after watching his favorite player, he jumped over the fence and ran to the crease to congratulate him.

Another police official said that he carried a picture of a religio-political leader because his friends told him that the picture would go viral on social media.

The video on social media revealed that Abdul Qayyum jumped over the fence to enter the field and tried to hug the Kiwi opener, Rachin Ravindra. Rachin, while talking to the journalists post-game, said that he was hoping his team would now emerge as crowd favorites for the rest of the tournament after Pakistan was knocked out.

“The crowd has been pretty good to us. It’s just great to have a good crowd every time we play cricket and it definitely elevates the atmosphere of each game,” he said.

The FIR registered against Abdul Qayyum states that around 08:15 p.m. on Monday a man jumped over the grill behind the boundary line and invaded the ground. The person intentionally violated the security protocols of the stadium and was apprehended by security officials. A case under sections 186 and 447 Pakistan Penal Code was registered against Qayyum.

Pakistan Cricket Board also issued a statement after the incident and stressed that they have taken note of the security breach that occurred in the match between New Zealand and Bangladesh.

“Ensuring the safety of players and officials remains our top priority. As a responsible organization, we have engaged with local security agencies, who have committed to increasing security personnel around the field of play at all venues and strengthening access control measures,” the statement said.

PCB has also banned the individual from entering all cricket venues in Pakistan.

“To prevent such incidents in the future, the PCB is working closely with security agencies and venue authorities to review and reinforce security protocols,” the statement further said.