No PCB staffer to be member of interim committees

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated on Monday that a temporary administrative arrangement had been adopted as this was the most time efficient, reliable and logistically convenient mechanism for the registration of all six cricket associations including the Northern Cricket Association.

It reiterated that no PCB staffer will be a member of the interim committees when these are put in place to run the day-to-day affairs of the cricket associations till the elected personnel take over.

This is important because the PCB’s vision is that these bodies will run their cricket independently with the PCB overseeing as a regulatory body and assisting where required only, the board said.

It added that contrary to the misleading impression being created, the PCB vehemently denied it had allocated or released any funds to the cricket associations that, in turn, will be managed by the PCB staff. It said the allocation of funds, if required, will be considered by the PCB under Clause 16(9) of the PCB Constitution 2019.

Meanwhile, the Movement of Restoration of Cricket Association (MRCA) has termed the PCB statement as misleading and factually incorrect with no legal grounds on the highly important registration of cricket associations (presently only Northern Cricket Association is registered as society under Societies Registration Act 1860 in Islamabad).

“There is no legal ground relying on which the PCB has registered the Northern Cricket Association (NCA) as society under Societies Registration Act 1860. Adoption of temporary administrative arrangement for most time efficient, reliable and logistically convenient mechanism for registration of NCA has no legal ground to justify an illegal, unconstitutional step the PCB took for stuffing the NCA with its 20 top officials including its COO, CEO, several Directors, GMs and others,” the MRCA said in a statement.

The MRCA stated that all the members of the general body of the illegally registered NCA are non-residents within the jurisdiction of the NCA, and secondly, all 20 members as registered with the NCA as society are employees of the PCB.

It leaves, the MRCA said, no doubt that the entire exercise was illegal, unconstitutional and an attempt to deprive the residents living in the jurisdiction of the NCA from the fundamental rights, as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, to become members of the Northern Cricket Association.