Ashraf Ali Siddiqui describes a contention brewing up
Wrangle at PCB – It was quite intriguing to see that Najam Sethi was brought back to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) despite the fact that he had no experience of cricketing affairs though he claimed that his managerial skills made plenty of difference to the matters related to the game. It was also clear that his return to the PCB was on the behest of PMLN leader sitting in London as the incumbent PM apparently was not keen on doing it but reluctantly agreed to. Sethi somehow managed to wriggle himself in the top of Pakistani cricket world but he was placed as Chairman of Interim Management Committee with the mandate to conduct elections for regional associations.
It took some time before opposition to Sethi’s position crystallised with first salvo fired by the federal minister for inter-provincial coordination while pointing out that Sethi became a candidate for the PCB chairman on his own and that it amounted to a conflict of interest when he was given a different mandate. He said that there would be no extension for Sethi’s tenure and Zaka Ashraf would be the next PCB chairman as it was the wish of the PPP leadership. The minister went on to say that he had also asked Sethi for a performance and expenditure report of his tenure revealing that he had received complaints from different quarters about irregularities in elections for the regional associations.
With the comments of the federal minister the race to elect the PCB chairman intensified. It was reported that Zaka Ashraf had the PPP’s backing while Sethi was the candidate for PMLN and both coalition partners were making efforts to get their nominees approved. Sethi was appointed as head of the 14-member interim committee in December last year to run the affairs of the PCB till the elections are held within the next four months. However, the committee is yet to complete elections in several regions so far amid court cases with many club operators having alleged rigging in the process, resulting in the extension of the tenure of the committee till 20 June.
The situation radically changed however when Sethi pulled out of race for PCB chief through tweeting that he does not to want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif as such instability and uncertainty was not good for PCB. Consequently, Zaka Ashraf and Mustafa Ramday were nominated as members of the Board of Governors (BoG) other than Sethi. The two nominations would complete the 10-member BoG with the remaining eight members of the body almost decided — four representatives each from regions and departments. The body will vote for the election of the PCB’s new chairman and put an end to the tenure of the board’s interim Manage¬ment Committee, which took charge in December last year after the ouster of former chief Ramiz Raja to revoke the 2019 constitution of the board and replace it with the 2014 charter. The Weekender
