Sethi’s ‘good’ decisions will be reviewed, assures Ashraf

Official takes charge, unruffled by lack of active Governing Board members.

KARACHI:

Restored Zaka Ashraf said he will review the ‘good’ decisions taken by former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) boss Najam Sethi as he took charge at the board’s headquarters in Lahore.

The PCB on Monday formally announced Ashraf’s restoration with effect from February 10, 2014. The detailed judgement was made public by the Islamabad High Court (IHC), compiled by Justice Noorul Haq Qureshi.

Ashraf, who will now serve his third stint as the PCB chief after being restored by the IHC, thanked the judiciary for helping him regain his post.

The musical-chair prolongs in the PCB as both Sethi and Ashraf continue to exchange seats in a tussle between the IHC and the government of Pakistan.

The Management Committee (MC) stands dissolved, while Ashraf’s Governing Board (GB) is also deemed dysfunctional after losing eight out of its 10 members. Therefore, he cannot take any decision since a required 25% of the GB members are not active.

“If there are good decisions in the pipeline, I would advise Sethi to enlighten me about them,” Zaka told reporters on Monday.

“I’ll take them forward if there is substance in them, and if not, they will be overlooked. After the IHC ruling, all the decisions taken by the MC are null and void and will have to be reviewed. I am very thankful to the independent judiciary for restoring me because it is the first time that a chairman has come in for a third stint.”

Regarding the fact about not having the required members for the GB, Ashraf stated they he would look at the legal options to maintain the board’s functionality.

Meanwhile, Ashraf made two remarks ridiculing Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad, stating that he was an officer who saluted every chairman in power, while adding that being miserly was worse than spending money freely.

Ashraf questioned on ‘Big Three’, team management

During the press conference, Ashraf was questioned on his stance on the ‘Big Three’, bearing in mind that Sethi gave them conditional support. The chairman stressed that he had never found the cause beneficial for Pakistan and added that ad his predecessor had signed papers in the International Cricket Council already, he would have to re-devise a strategy.

Commenting on the induction of Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed in the Pakistan team management, he explained that there should be some thinking before including tainted players, who have already been scrutinised in the past.

Ashraf’s return could bring new life for Mohammad Hafeez, who recently stepped down as Pakistan’s T20 captain, as the chairman feels that he, along with Misbahul Haq, are good administrators on the pitch.

‘Government to challenge IHC ruling’

The government will be challenging Ashraf’s reinstatement in the IHC through an intra-court appeal to sort the stay order against the decision.

“The government will definitely challenge Ashraf’s reinstatement in the IHC through Intra-Court appeal because we feel it’s not a right decision,” a member of the dissolved MC told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2014.

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