ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) expressed grave concerns over Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja’s absence from the Wednesday meeting and directed him to ensure his presence in the next meeting for the in-depth briefing on matters relating to the board.
Ramiz missed the meeting due to his engagements in Karachi. PCB Chief Financial Officer who attended the meeting informed the committee that the chairman PCB conveyed his regrets to attend the meeting due to his prior urgent commitments in connection with the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“He will attend the next meeting of the Standing Committee to brief the august House.” The PCB, however, submitted salary details of some leading the PCB officials headed by former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan who drew Rs2.6 million per month during his stay with the board. Physiotherapist Wycliffe Andrew Deacon’s monthly salary is around Rs2.115 million. Some other leading officials salary is Mohammad Nadeem Khan (Rs1,13.15,000), Saqlain Mushtaq (Rs11,277,711), Salman Naseer (Rs1,245,000), Javed Murtaza (Rs1,240,417) Najeebullah Soomro (1, 215,000), Mohammad Waseem (Rs1,000, 000), Serena Agha (Rs8,65,000), Zakir Khan (Rs8, 44,000), Asif Mehmood (650,000), Asad Mustafa (Rs 613,345), Ateeque Rasheed (Rs 600,000). All five chief executives of five provincial associations Najeeb Sadiq, Mohammad Abdul Saboor, Anwar Saleem Kasi, Babar Khan, and Abdullah Khurram Niazi are drawing Rs half a million as monthly salary.
IPC Committee members, as well as the chairman, expressed their dissatisfaction with the furnished answers, again stressing that the PCB chairman must appear in person and submit complete details of spending (perks and privileges) on some of the leading officials.
“Though the PCB is not taking any money from the government, it is using the national flag and representing the country as such is answerable to public representatives,” chairman Nawab Sher Waseer said.
Secretary IPC Mohsin Mushtaq defended the PCB, saying that the board’s income and spending go through audit annually. Member IPC Committee Iqbal Mohammad Ali pointed out that there were over Rs1 billion unsettled audit objections.
“The PCB is answerable to these objections and it must come forward to settle these.” Member committee Dr Mehreen Raja also expressed her dissatisfaction over the PCB answers. “We need clarity on all issues.”
To a question on the termination of the Pindi Cricket Stadium manager Nisar Ahmed, the PCB official present said that around 16 officials were terminated during Ehsan Mani tenure as the chairman PCB. “Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja will brief the committee on the circumstances that led to the termination of these officials.”
Members were also critical of Pakistan Sports Board’s (PCB) inability to prepare athletes well in time for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham (UK) in seven months times. “No efforts are made to prepare competitive athletes/teams for the mega event.”
Director General PSB Asif Zaman said that athletics camp in progress in Lahore while volleyball camp is underway in Islamabad. Though Pakistan requires a lengthy volleyball camp, it is worth mentioning here that only beach volleyball is part of the Commonwealth Games as there is no regular volleyball event is there.
President Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) Maj Gen (r) Akram Sahi again was missing from the meeting. “Unless and until the president AFP appears, we would not listen to any other federation official.”
The meeting was attended by members Mehboob Shah, Gul Zafar Khan, Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhary, Robina Jamil, Ms Munawara Bibi Baloch, Mst Shaheen Naz Saifullah, Fakhar Zaman, Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan, Ch Zulfiqar Ali Bhinder, Rasheed Ahmed Khan, Zulfiqar Ali Behan, Ms Shahida Rehmani, Ms Nasiba Channa, and Syed Faizul Hassan, Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto.
