14-member body led by Najm Sethi to run PCB affairs

ISLAMABAD: In the ever-changing scenario to wrest the powers at the helm of affairs in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the government has constituted a 14-member committee to take over the working of the Board for a specific period of 120 days before conducting elections under 2014 PCB constitution.

The committee, however, requires approval from the federal cabinet. The News has learned from well-placed sources that Najam Sethi is the Chairman of the 14-member committee that includes some former PCB Governing Board members as well as some former Test cricketers and representatives of regional cricket associations.

The Management Committee includes: Najam Sethi (Chairman), Shakil Sheikh, Gul Zada, Aized Syed, Tanvir Ahmed, Gul Muhammad Kakar, Ayaz Butt, Nauman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Shafqat Rana, Haroon Rashid, Sana Mir, Mustafa Ramday and Ch Arif Saeed.

The larger management committee will streamline the affairs for at least 120 days before conducting the elections according to the 2014 PCB constitution that has already been vetted by the Ministry of Law with some minor changes.

The summary sent to revive the 2014 PCB constitution says that the federal government promulgated the new PCB Constitution on August 19, 2019 that discontinued the departmental cricket, their financing and established provincial cricket associations.

It further said that the former prime minister of Pakistan had abolished the departmental cricket. The Prime Minister’s Office has now revoked the 2019 PCB constitution which does not recognise the role of departmental cricket in national cricket structure.

The federal government has decided to restore the 2014 PCB Constitution approved by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and International Cricket Council (ICC), wherein departmental cricket is recognised and instituted in the domestic cricket structure.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan in a case related to PCB in a reported judgment 2014 SCMR 1573 held that “Authority which had the power to enforce law, shall necessarily have the power to repeal the law, to mend the same; and even to substitute the law by repealing the earlier law on the subject, provided it was otherwise within the legislative competence of such authority”.

Meanwhile, a summary on removal of Rameez Raja as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman has been forwarded to the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

According to sources the Ministry Of Interprovincial Coordination had sent the summary to PM House on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two new names have been proposed as members of PCB Governing Board. These names are Najam Sethi and Shakil Sheikh. Sources said the two new names have been recommended in place of Rameez Raja and Asad Ali Khan.

The formal approval of the summary will be obtained from the federal cabinet. -- Online