The commencement of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman's election process may experience a delay as two individuals from the previous management committee have taken legal action by approaching the Lahore High Court.
On Monday, the Lahore High Court is scheduled to review two petitions submitted by Shakil Sheikh and Gul Zada, former members of the PCB management committee. These petitions challenge the election procedure aimed at appointing Zaka Ashraf as the chairman and question the legality of the Board of Governors (BOG), responsible for selecting the new chief.
The petitioners have requested the esteemed judge to halt the chairman's elections and temporarily suspend the BOG's activities until their petitions are adjudicated.
“It is a tricky situation because the election commissioner and acting Chairman of the board has set June 27 as the date for holding election for new Chairman after the changes made to the Board of Governors,” one source in the board said.
Interestingly, Zaka Ashraf, who now faces legal challenges in his bid to become PCB chairman, had encountered a similar situation when he assumed the position back in 2012. At that time, his predecessor Najam Sethi had initiated legal proceedings against him, resulting in a Supreme Court order for Ashraf to vacate his post.
The PCB's patron-in-chief, who is none other than the Prime Minister of the country, nominates two candidates to the Board of Governors (BOG), from which one is elected as the chairman.
In the current scenario, with Najam Sethi stepping back from the election race, the Prime Minister nominated Zaka Ashraf and Mustafa Ramday as his candidates to serve on the PCB's BOG.
The prevailing uncertainty in Pakistan cricket coincides with the upcoming announcement of the ODI World Cup schedule by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.
“It will be a bad situation for Pakistan cricket if the Lahore High Court issues any stay order on the petitions today. Because at a time when the PCB is faced with many challenges from the ICC and BCCI, it is important to have a proper elected chairman,” a senior official of the board said.
(With agency inputs)
