Ad-hocism move for PCB receives bitter criticism



Thursday, August 28, 2008
By our correspondent

KARACHI: The Sports Ministry痴 plans to get an ad-hoc committee installed to run the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) attracted scathing criticism from a member of Senate痴 Standing Committee on Sports on Wednesday.

Senator Enver Baig ・a member of the ruling PPP ・who crusaded for four years to get rid of 疎d-hocism・in the PCB, told 禅he News・that he would fiercely resist such a move. 的t took us four years of hard work to get rid of the so-called ad-hoc committee that ran Pakistan cricket and get a new constitution in place and now they are talking about returning back to that non-democratic practice of ad-hocism. It痴 outrageous,・said Baig.

The Senator said that a return to ad-hocism would turn out to be disastrous for Pakistan cricket which he believes is already going through hard times. The outspoken Bag said that other members of the Senate痴 sports committee share his views and will oppose the idea of setting up an ad-hoc committee to run PCB affairs.

There have been reports that Sports Minister Najmuddin Khan is making efforts to get an ad-hoc committee formed to take over the PCB.The cash-rich Board is without a top boss following the resignation of its chairman Nasim Ashraf earlier this month. Ashraf, who took over as PCB chief in 2006, decided to quit following the resignation of former president Pervez Musharraf.

According to sources, Najmuddin, a PPP member from FATA, is himself interested in taking over as the chairman of the ad-hoc committee.Baig said that such a move will be farcical. 的 can稚 digest the fact that an elected representative is pushing for the revival of ad-hocism,・he stressed.

The Senator said that he believes that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is not aware of such a move.的 would advise the Prime Minister to ask the Sport Minister to take a briefing on the status of the PCB from the standing committees of sports formed by the Senate and the National Assembly,・said Baig.

Pakistan cricket was run by an ad-hoc committee for several years and it was after intense efforts by certain quarters, especially Senate﨎 sports committee, that the top PCB officials were forced to get a new constitution in place.

Baig said that the constitution may have some disputed clauses but the best way to deal with it would be to bring new reforms. 典o entirely suspend the constitution and bring in an ad-hoc committee is not a very bright idea. It would take our cricket ten years back. I知 going to oppose it and am confident that all cricket lovers in this country would back me,・Baig concluded.

The Senator said that he would raise this issue in a meeting of the Senate痴 sports committee in Islamabad on September. The committee has summoned various stake-holders of Pakistan sports in the meeting including the Sports Minister, former sports greats, top sports officials and leading journalists for the meeting. 的 will ask the Sports Minister to explain us the reason why there is a move to set up a PCB ad-hoc committee,・he said.