PCB’s new constitution in the works

Post of MD likely to be introduced in revised charter.

KARACHI:

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) legal department has submitted the draft of the board’s new constitution to the chairman, Najam Sethi. The body is likely to introduce the post of Managing Director (MD), which would enjoy most of the powers that are only exercised by the chairman of the board at this point in time.

At present, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) is second in command, but after the introduction of the MD post, the powers of the COO are set to be curtailed.

PCB’s constitution was suspended last year when former chairman Zaka Ashraf’s election as the head of the body was questioned by the Islamabad High Court. Consequentially, Sethi was sworn in through the IPC’s SRO in January this year, after Ashraf had been briefly reinstated by the IHC.

After a review from Sethi, the new constitution will be sent to the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) ministry before the final approval from the Prime Minister’s (PM) office. After a constitutional amendment last year, the PM was appointed the patron of the board.

Meanwhile, a major feature in the draft version is the procedure of the appointment of the chairman of PCB. Previously, the head of the board used to be handpicked by the patron, but after the implementation of the new or revised constitution the procedure for the coveted appointment is likely to be changed.

An electoral process is likely to be introduced for appointing the new chairman. If the change is vetted by the patron, the next chairman would come in power only through elections.

More powers for regional teams have also been drafted in the new charter; regions are set to have more of a say in the organisation of cricket in their respective centres, helping to improve game’s standard.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2014.

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