LAHORE: Zaka Ashraf, backed by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), officially took charge as the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee.
The cricket board has finalized all necessary procedures for Ashraf’s appointment following the abrupt departure of his predecessor.
Senior officials warmly greeted the new chief when he arrived at the PCB headquarters in Lahore. The meeting of the 10-member committee presided by Ashaf, received approval from the Cabinet Division via circulation on Wednesday.
Zaka Ashraf’s appointment as the head of the PCB comes after pressure from the coalition partner, the PPP. Earlier, Najam Sethi was entrusted with the position, he is perceived to be close to the Sharif family. However, internal disagreements within the ruling alliance prevented his appointment. It led to his withdrawal from the race and paved the way for the new appointment.
The newly formed 10-member Management Committee, which will serve for four months, includes Zaka Ashraf, Kalim Ullah Khan, Ashfaq Akhtar, Muhammad Mussadiq Islam, Azmat Pervez, Zaheer Abbas, Khurram Karim Somroo, Khawaja Nadeem, Mustafa Ramday, and Zulfiqar Malik.
Zaka Ashraf thanked the Prime Minister for his appointment as the head of the newly formed committee.
The Ministry of Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC) proposed the formation of the Management Committee for efficient management and decision-making regarding imminent international cricket events and major decisions at the International Cricket Council (ICC). The establishment of the committee was also linked to the inefficiency of the current PCB election commissioner, resulting in litigation and potential scrutiny by the ICC.
Furthermore, the Ministry suggested the replacement of Ahmed Shehzad Farooq with Mahmood Iqbal Khakwani as the Election Commissioner of PCB. The federal government subsequently issued a separate notification to this effect.
The PCB Constitution mandated the transfer of responsibilities from the previous Management Committee to the Election Commissioner. This has led to an uncertain scenario and the initiation of numerous litigations in various courts of law.
