PCB to work under Cabinet Division

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) operations have been put directly under the Prime Minister Office (Cabinet Division), instead of drawing its link through the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC).

The News broke the story in its February 16 edition on the move which was notified on Monday. The notification issued by the Cabinet Division says that “the Prime Minister in terms of the Rule of Business, 1973, has been pleased to transfer the administrative control of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) from the Inter-Provincial Coordination Division to the Cabinet Division.

“Therefore, Pakistan Cricket Board stands transferred to the Cabinet Division. Necessary Consequential amendments in the Rule of Business, 1973, to reflect the Pakistan Cricket Board under the business of Cabinet Division shall be made in due course.”

A summary to this effect has been recently moved for the competent authorities’ approval. The PCB will not be answerable to the Ministry of IPC anymore as the Cabinet Division will directly deal with all the affairs pertaining to the PCB.

Since the approval and restoration of the PCB constitution 2014 and even before that, the IPC Ministry has been the only link between the Patron of the Board-the Prime Minister and the PCB. Any direct link or communication was considered an unconstitutional act. In recent times, one of the former secretaries told the PCB officials in a clear term that any direct contact with the PM Office will be considered a violation.

The IPC Ministry never liked any direct communication with the PM office from any of the PCB officials. That was one of the reasons why the Secretary Ministry of the IPC was made part of the PCB Board.

One of the top officials from the Cabinet Division will be made part of the PCB BoG instead of the Secretary IPC that previously performed his duties as co-opted member.

Recently a campaign had been launched by some former BoG members to keep the Ministry out of the PCB affairs. These former members met the PCB officials recently and suggested the Ministry should not be allowed to act as a bridge between the PCB and PM Office. They suggested that necessary steps should be taken for the purpose. Now it will be the Cabinet Division instead of Ministry of the IPC that will look after questions coming directly from the Parliament members or from the Senate and NA Committees.