In a significant development, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination has officially announced the dissolution of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, headed by Najam Sethi. This decision comes alongside the transfer of all PCB affairs to Election Commissioner Ahmed Shehzad Farooq Rana.
The appointment of Rana as Election Commissioner was made earlier this year in February, by the PCB’s Patron-in-Chief and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in accordance with Article 29 of the PCB Constitution 2014. This move followed the establishment of a 14-member committee by PM Sharif in December of the previous year, tasked with reinforcing the 2014 constitution and reintroducing departmental cricket.
Who will be new PCB chairman after Najam Sethi?
Originally, the committee was given 120 days to restore the 2014 constitution. However, Sethi and his team were granted a two-month extension, which concluded today. In light of this, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has nominated Zaka Ashraf, who is likely to assume the role of the new PCB chairman, and Mustafa Ramday for inclusion in the PCB Board of Governors (BoG).
With the addition of Ashraf and Ramday, the BoG, comprising 10 members, has reached its complete composition. In addition to the aforementioned duo, the BoG consists of four representatives from cricket associations and four from departments. The PM’s nominations will prompt the chief election commissioner to announce the election schedule for the PCB chairman, which is expected to take place later this week.
Meanwhile, Najam Sethi himself has confirmed that he has withdrawn from the race for the position of PCB chairman. Sethi, who currently serves as the chairman of the PCB Management Committee, conveyed this update through a tweet on Tuesday. In his statement, the 75-year-old expressed his desire not to be a source of contention between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
To provide clarity, the composition of the BoG consists of two nominees from the PCB Patron, four regional representatives representing Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi, as well as four representatives from departmental/service organizations such as Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL), Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA), and Khan Research Laboratory (KRL).
