The race for the prestigious role of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman has intensified, as Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf make final push. In December last year, the government dismissed Ramiz Raja and formed a management committee headed by Najam Sethi to take over the affairs of the PCB.
The committee was given 120 days to restore regional and departmental cricket and the 2014 constitution. It was also given the task of forming a 10-member governing board and appointing a chairman.
Its term was to be completed on April 21. However, things seemed to be simple at first. However, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Affairs objected to the appointment of the Election Commissioner. Then only a two to four-week summary was sent to the Prime Minister’s House to extend the committee’s tenure.
Minister Ehsan ur Rehman Mazari belongs to PPP. Interestingly, the committee got a two-month extension, likely ending on June 22. Zaka Ashraf was PCB’s chairman in the previous regime of PPP. He remained the head and was removed from office after the change of government; later, he had a legal battle with Najam Sethi. He is a close friend of Pakistan People’s Party President Asif Ali Zardari. On the other hand, Najam Sethi is close to former Prime Minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. In the past few days, Najam Sethi met Nawaz Sharif in London and then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Pakistan.
According to the sources, neither party is ready to withdraw their candidates. The situation has taken a dramatic turn, and there may be a surprise, Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf both seem determined to become the next PCB chairman. In this regard, when contacted by the correspondent of Express News, the Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Affairs, Ehsan ur Rahman Mazari, said that we had sent a summary to the Prime Minister a month ago and requested him to pay attention to the name of Zaka Ashraf as the chairman PCB.
