Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar on Saturday made a sensational claim stating that he had rejected a 175,000-pound county cricket contract with Nottinghamshire in England to fight the war in Kargil.
Speaking to ARY News, Shoaib Akhtar revealed how he was ready to turn down the lucrative country cricket contract to fight for his country.
“People hardly know about this story. I had a 175,000-pound contract with Nottingham. Then in 2002, I had another big contract. I left both when Kargil happened. I stood on the outskirts of Lahore. A general asked me what I’m doing there. I said war is about to start and we’ll die together. I left county [cricket] twice like this and the counties were shocked. I wasn’t concerned about that. I called up my friends in Kashmir and told them I am ready to fight,” Akhtar was quoted as saying.
He further said, “When the planes (from India) came and downed some of our trees, that was a big loss for us. They dropped 6-7 trees and we are really putting a lot of focus on trees now. I was very hurt about this. I was feeling dizzy when I woke up that day and my wife told me to calm down. But until the next day when I saw the news, that continued. I know the inside story of what happened on the next day, I’m from Rawalpindi and I know GHQ”.
The Kargil war broke out after Pakistani soldiers disguised as Kashmiri terrorist sat in positions on the Line of Control (LOC). The war which started on May 2, 1999, lasted till July 26 after Indian Army ousted the Pakistani intruders from Indian bunkers.