PCB directed to submit audit reports with NA committee

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been asked to submit all the so-called ‘secret audit reports’ of the last three years with the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) during the next meeting.

The standing committee said that public representatives have all the rights to get access to any document of the board. Dr Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, who literally stole the show during Monday’s meeting, rejected the PCB’s version that there was something secret in audit reports finalised by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).

“Why should we ask the AGP to submit the report? The audit report of the last three years of all the PCB’s expenditures duly verified by the AGP must be submitted with the committee during the next meeting. Since it is with the PCB, the board should submit it with the committee,” Committee chairman Nawab Sher Waseer directed the PCB officials. Dr Mahreen added that her questions had been pending for the last three years.

“The PCB has yet to furnish satisfactory answers. Now they say that we are not in a position to submit the details especially on the perks and privileges the officials had enjoyed and the details of the AGP’s audit report.”

She made it clear that the PCB functions under the constitution of Pakistan. “It is pertinent on the PCB and all other sports bodies to submit details with the NA or its committees on the demand. I am not satisfied with the answers and I will ask the PCB high-ups to furnish all the details in the next meeting.”

PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Salman Naseer said that the Board has its limitations. “Since the ICC has barred every cricketing board from involving the government in daily matters, we don’t want to spread the wrong message to the world. We have the enemies who are looking forward to exploit our flaws. Yet we never refused to furnish any detail required by the respected parliamentarians,” Salman Naseer said.