PCB working on law to curb betting, NA panel told

Four-member subcommittee formed to redress problems facing sports federations

The National Assembly Standing Committee on inter-provincial coordination (IPC) was informed on Monday that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was working on a law in collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Sri Lanka Cricket Board against match-fixing.

Speaking on behalf of the PCB chairman, Ehsan Mani, Salman Naseer told the committee that at present, there was no law in the country on this issue. “Legislation is needed,” he said. “There should be a law to punish cricketers so that no cricketer gets involved in betting.”

The committee met here, with Agha Hassan Baloch in the chair. During the meeting, the members expressed displeasure over the absence of PCB chairman. The committee members also walked out over Mani’s absence. The chair asked the PCB chief to appear before the committee in the next meeting.

PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Salman Naseer and IPC ministry’s Joint Secretary Imran Mahmood briefed the committee on the penalties proposed in the ‘Prevention of Offences in Sports Bill 2020’ for committing such offences.

Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan and other members said that the minimum penalty on betting must be a year and not three months. The committee asked the sports authorities in the IPC and the PCB to present a stringent framework to protect sports from corrupt elements and match-fixers.

Committee member Iqbal Muhammad Ali alleged that corruption was rampant in sports. He said that there were a lot of incidents of match-fixing in cricket. He added that Asif Bajwa caught in human trafficking, but he became secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

Similarly, Iqbal Muhammad Ali said, betting also occurred in Pakistan Super League (PSL)-5, adding that initially, the PCB chairman had refused to accept the allegations but later admitted that betting had occurred.

During the meeting, the committee formed a four-member subcommittee on the problems, facing by the sports federations. The subcommittee would be headed by Iqbal Muhammad Ali Khan while members included Shahida Rehmani, Munarvra Bibi Baloch and Rasheed Ahmad Khan. (WITH INPUT FROM APP)