IPC Ministry appoints PCB Secretary with task of reducing number of employees
- September 28, 2013, 7:30 pm
- Sports News
- 187 Views
ISLAMABAD, September 28 (Online): The Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) in Pakistan on Saturday appointed Amir Tariq Zaman Khan as the Secretary Pakistan Cricket Board.
There is no provision or definition of Secretary Portfolio in the PCB Constitution, but in-compliance with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, the IPC has appointed its Additional Secretary Sport as Secretary PCB with a role to cut down on the number of board employees, some of who may have been illegally appointed during Zaka Ashraf's tenure.
The IHC in July ordered a comprehensive transformation in the functioning of the PCB, to be initiated with fresh elections. The 30-page judgement, asked for changes in the structure of the PCB, questioned the appointment of the selection committee, as well as its financial and recruitment affairs. The PCB is presently being run by an interim setup led by Najam Sethi, who was given 90 days until October 18 with the objective of looking into the day-to-day affairs of the PCB, cooperating and ensuring the conduct of the election. Earlier Najam Sethi was named the interim PCB chairman directly by Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, though the move was enforced by the IHC.
The IHC observed that a large contingent in the PCB was being paid lucrative packages, with 68 employees being appointed unnecessarily during Zaka Ashraf's one year and eight months as the board chief.
"In this view of the matter, it is directed that the federal government may appoint some official of the DMG group, not below the rank of additional secretary, as secretary of the PCB and all the officials in the PCB who are of no utility be removed forthwith and amounts paid to them may be utilised for improving the cricket structure and welfare of cricketers," read the IHC order.
The PCB has over 900 employees around the country including employees at the National Cricket Academy and the regional associations. The board recently provisionally approved a budget of approximately rupees 3 billion ($29 million approximately) with a deficit of rupees 500 million for the year 2013-14. The deficit is mainly because the PCB has not been able to host any major international team for the last four years after gunmen attacked the team bus of Sri Lanka, killing six police officials and a van driver.
