ISLAMABAD: National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser Wednesday directed the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to present comprehensive report before lower house of the parliament about steps taken to revive sports activities in the country.

During the NA's 7th sitting of 28th session, he gave a ruling during the Question Hour and directed the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination to present comprehensive report about steps taken for the sports revival in the country.

Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination Parliamentary Secretary Syma Nadeem informed that sports bodies were being revamped and all the sports stakeholders had been taken on board for working on new sports structure and sports policy.

She said the main reasons behind decline in sports activities were lack of funds, sports infrastructure and modern equipment. After 18th Amendment, Sports Department was devolved to the provinces accordingly, she added.

Syma Nadeem said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had filed one-appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) in accordance with the provisions of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (the “Code”) against the decision of the independent adjudicator through which Umer Akmal’s ban had been reduced from 36 months to 18 months.

She said the PCB proceeded with filing an appeal against the independent adjudicator’s decision before CAS as it felt that the grounds relied upon for the partial reduction of Umer Akmal’s ban were extraneous and ultra vires the applicable Anti-Corruption Code (the ‘Code’).

Syma Nadeem said otherwise PCB had zero tolerance towards corruption in any form or manifestation and had been fighting the war against corruption in cricket for decades.