PCB permits politicians to contest clubs’ elections

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Sunday allowed all the politicians including MNAs, MPAs, and the councilors to contest the clubs’ elections as the Governing Board (GoB) of the PCB has deleted Article 8.2(e) of the Club Constitution that earlier had barred any political personality to contest these elections.

Now the PCB’s Model Constitution has paved the way for the political personalities to contest the elections and to get elected as the president and treasurer of a club.

Article 8.2 of the Club Constitution now has been deleted and read as: “is not an incumbent office-bearer of any political party, elected representative, minister, senator, MNA, MPA, MLA, nazim, naib nazim, councilor, a person who has contested general and/or local body elections in the last three years or draws financial or material support from any political, religious, ethnic or sectarian party. In case any office-bearer violates the provisions of this article during his tenure, he will stand disqualified or shall be de-notified forthwith.”

It is believed that the PCB has budged to political pressure and has deleted the article to accommodate political persons and allowed their active role in cricket administration. In the longer run, these political personalities will now surely be eyeing for much higher posts in city and provincial cricket associations and also in the PCB hierarchy making it difficult for the ordinary server of the game of cricket to contest elections or even think of matching those having political influence.

The restrictions on the government servants to become the Club officials will however remain.

The BoG has also modified Article 8.4. “The term of an Office Bearer shall be two years. Provided that the tenures of Office Bearers of the Club shall be calculated from the date that the election is notified under this Constitution.”

Earlier, the Club Constitution Clause 8.4 was “The term of an office-bearer shall be two years. Provided that a person may only be elected or nominated for two consecutive tenures, and thereafter shall not be eligible for re-election or nomination until a lapse of one term of two years from the expiry of the second tenure. Provided further that the tenures of Office Bearers of the Club shall be calculated from the date that the election is notified under this Constitution.”