Najam Sethi 'approached Asif Ali Zardari' about coveted PCB post

As the top post in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) slipped away from him, chairman of its now-defunct Management Committee Najam Sethi tried to convince Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari till the last moment but to no avail, Geo News reported quoting reliable sources.

It was reported by the sources that Zardari did not respond to Sethi regarding the matter. Meanwhile, his party, too, was approached by "some friends" earlier this week convincing them to withdraw the name of former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf, who is being backed by the PPP for the coveted position on the board yet again

The PPP has, however, refused the proposition, as it is already upset over the resignation of former National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman Tariq Malik.

The Zardari-led party is insistent on Ashraf's appointment as the PCB chief, while Sethi had to go home due to a stand-off between the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PPP.

Furthermore, Sethi also had to endure another humiliation.

His decision to form a new Board of Governors during his last meeting on June 20 was automatically cancelled after the Management Committee was dissolved following the appointment of Election Commissioner Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana as acting chairman of the cricketing body on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the PCB has announced that elections for the PCB top post will be held next week on June 27.

In a statement, the board said that the election for the chairman’s post would be held at its headquarters in Lahore, and its schedule would be issued after receiving nominations from the departments and service organisations.

The commission’s office has also written to the departments and service organisations to nominate their representatives.

“The election of the PCB Chair will be held in a fair and transparent manner whilst adopting due process and ensuring completion of all legal formalities,” Rana was quoted by the PCB.