Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced the nomination of former Chairman Muhammad Zaka Ashraf and Mustafa Advocate Supreme Court Mustafa Ramday as nominees for the members of the Board of Governors of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a notification issued by the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
The notification issued on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, as the Patron-in-Chief of PCB, has nominated Ashraf and Ramday as members of PCB’s Board of Governors.
Ashraf, who was the PCB chairman in the previous Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government, is likely to once again assume the elite position.
With the nomination of Ashraf and Ramday, the BoG has completed 10 members. Apart from Ashraf and Ramday, four representatives from cricket associations and departments will sit in the BoG.
The Chief Election Commissioner will now call for the polls, which are likely to be held later this week.
Najam Sethi, who was appointed as the PCB Management Committee Chairman earlier today, has confirmed that he is no longer in the race to become the PCB Chairman.
The 75-year-old shared an update in a tweet, saying he did not want to be a “bone of contention” between Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) June 19, 2023
Meanwhile, IPC Federal Minister Ehsanur Rehman Mazari had reiterated that Ashraf, who has the support of the People’s Party leadership, would become the next PCB chairman.
Mazari, speaking on a local television show, said that Sethi’s mandate, as the head of the management committee, was only to conduct free and fair elections in the regions.
“Najm Sethi came temporarily to head the Interim Management Committee and he had only one mandate to conduct elections in the cricket areas,” he said.
The PPP’s position on the matter is that since its minister is the head of the IPC division and the PCB belongs to the ministry, its chairman should be appointed by the party.
In December last year, Prime Minister Shehbaz appointed a 14-member committee to reinforce the 2014 constitution, bringing back departmental cricket.
Initially, the committee was given 120 days to revise the 2014 constitution. However, Sethi & Company was given an extension of two months which ends on June 21.
Selection criteria
According to the constitution of PCB, the Chairman of the Board is elected from among the members of the Board of Governors.
Article 6(1) of the PCB states that the Chairman of the Board is elected by the Board of Governors from among themselves for a term of three years under Article 7 (of the PCB Constitution).
Clause 7 describes the process of electing the Chairman of the PCB which shall be done by calling a special meeting of the Board of Governors by a majority vote of the total voting membership.
According to Article 12 of the PCB Constitution, the Board of Governors should consist of 11 members out of which 10 should have voting rights, which defines the “Composition of the Board of Governors”.
As per 12.1 of the PCB Constitution, (a) three members from the Cricket Association shall be the elected President of such CA, (b) two members nominated by the Patron, (c) nominations forwarded by the Nomination Committee. Out of four independent members, (d) the Federal Secretary of the Inter-Provincial Committee as an ex-officio member who shall not be entitled to vote and (e) the Chief Executive of the PCB.
Clause 13(2) of the Constitution prescribes that the quorum of the meeting shall be five voting members with at least one member each appointed under paragraphs a, b and c of 12.1. However, there is a provision to reduce the quorum ratio in case of less number of members.
