In a significant development, the federal government of Pakistan has established a new management committee for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), appointing Zaka Ashraf as its chairman.
The formation of this committee was approved by the government through the circulation of a summary. The 10-member committee has been assigned a four-month term to fulfill its responsibilities.
Alongside the committee formation, a new chief election commissioner has been appointed as well. Mahmood Iqbal has replaced Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana in this vital role. These appointments reflect the government’s commitment to ensuring efficient governance within the PCB.
The inaugural meeting of the newly formed committee is scheduled to take place today, Thursday, in Lahore. During this meeting, the committee members will discuss their roles and responsibilities and outline a roadmap for the upcoming months.
The 10-member committee comprises distinguished individuals who bring diverse expertise and experience to the table. Alongside Chairman Zaka Ashraf, the committee includes Kaleem Ullah Khan, Ashfaq Akhtar, Musaddiq Islam, Azmat Parvez, Zaheer Abbas, Khurram Karim Somroo, Khuwaja Nadeem, Mustafa Ramday, and Zulfiqar Malik.
This development comes after the Lahore High Court (LHC) recently lifted the stay order on the election for the PCB chairman. The elections were initially scheduled to be held on June 27 at the PCB headquarters in Lahore but faced postponement due to stay orders from various courts across the country, including the Balochistan High Court.
On June 27, the LHC intervened and suspended the notification of the Board of Governors (BoG), thereby staying the chairman election. The court further issued notices to the federal government, the cricket board’s election commissioner, and other relevant parties.
One of the petitioners, Malik Zulfiqar, argued that the Chief Election Commissioner, Shahzad Farooq Rana, had made unauthorized modifications to the BoG list, which had been finalized by the interim management committee on June 20. This contention deemed the actions of the chief election commissioner as illegal.
With the formation of the new management committee and the appointment of Zaka Ashraf as its chairman, it is expected that the PCB will now be able to proceed with the election process smoothly. The committee members’ collective experience and expertise will undoubtedly contribute to the development and progress of cricket in Pakistan, bringing stability and strategic decision-making to the country’s cricketing body.
As the committee holds its inaugural meeting today, cricket enthusiasts and stakeholders eagerly anticipate the positive changes and reforms that the new leadership will bring to the PCB.
