IPC recommends trio for interim PCB chief

Islamabad High Court extends stay on Ashraf’s suspension.

ISLAMABAD: In response to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders, the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) ministry has sent three names to the country’s prime  minister as it looks to appoint an interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

In a hearing held yesterday, the IHC bench, headed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, directed the IPC ministry to finalise the appointment by June 22. The IHC also extended the stay against suspended PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf till June 24. The IHC is hearing a petition against the ‘undemocratic and unconstitutional election’ of Ashraf as PCB chairman. In the previous hearing, the IHC upheld the suspension on Ashraf and directed the IPC ministry to appoint an acting chairman.

During the course of the hearing, advocate Irfanullah, representing the IPC, told the bench that the ministry has forwarded three names to the prime minister. The potential candidates include former Pakistan opener Majid Khan, commentator Chishti Mujahid and former Federal Board of Revenue chairman Mumtaz Rizvi. Irfanullah also assured the court that the IPC would appoint the interim chairman.

Ashraf was appointed the PCB chief in October 2011 and became the board’s first elected chairman after winning a four-year term under a new constitution approved earlier this year. However, the entire election process was challenged with former captain Rashid Latif also filing a petition in the Sindh High Court.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20^th, 2013.

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