LAHORE: Pakistan Peoples Party has conveyed the PML-N leadership that the fate of the coalition set up could be at stake if the Prime Minister’s office keeps showing a lukewarm response to the appointment of Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf as new Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it has been learnt.
According to sources, top PML-N leadership also held a meeting on Wednesday with PM Shehbaz Sharif in the chair, to discuss the situation arising out the resignation of Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik as well as the dispute over the office of chairman PCB in the backdrop of a strong message from the PPP leadership.
However, the sources claimed that the meeting remained inconclusive, as some of the participants opined that appointment of PCB chairman is the sole discretion of Prime Minister, hence, there is no need to appoint PPP nominee against this slot.
The PPP is already differing with the PML-N over the setting up of military courts to try the arrested workers of a political party.
It may be noted that in December 2022, the current coalition government dismissed Ramiz Raja and formed a management committee headed by Najam Sethi to take over the affairs of the PCB. The committee was given 120 days to restore regional and departmental cricket and the 2014 Constitution. It was also given the task of forming a 10-member governing board and appointing a chairman. Its term was to be completed on April 21. However, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Affairs objected to the appointment of the Election Commissioner.
Then only a two to four-week summary was sent to the Prime Minister's House to extend the committee's tenure, which got a two-month extension, likely ending on June 22.
PPP nominee Ch Zaka Ashraf who was PCB’s chairman in the previous regime of PPP is a close friend of Pakistan Peoples Party President Asif Ali Zardari. On the other hand, Najam Sethi is close to former prime minister and PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. In the last few days, Najam Sethi met Nawaz Sharif in London and then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Pakistan.
The Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Affairs, Ehsan ur Rahman Mazari, who belongs to the PPP said that they had sent a summary to the PM a month ago and requested him to pay attention to the name of Zaka Ashraf as the chairman PCB. He said there are only a few days left before the term of the management committee ends, so the matter should be resolved sooner.
He further stated that it was decided in the coalition government that the party under which the ministry was made would also make future appointments.
“Sports come under the IPC Ministry, so the appointment of the PCB head is our authority; we do not intrude in the affairs of the ministries with the PML-N or other parties. We are hoping that one of the two persons nominated by the Prime Minister for the governing board will include Zaka Ashraf,” Mazari said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.