Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf will know his fate just 48 hours before the Asia Cup 2023 inauguration in Multan. After Pakistan Election Commission asked for Ashraf’s removal as the Pakistan Cricket chief terming him as a political appointment, Ashraf moved the Lahore High Court against the removal.
The Lahore HC held a hearing on his plea and called all the concerned defendants to appear before it on Monday (August 28), just two days before Asia Cup 2023.
In general, the Pakistan Cricket chairman is nominated by the Prime Minister who is also the chief patron of the board. As Pakistan is going for general elections, the election commission asked for the removal of all political appointments. Zaka Ashraf was nominated by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) which brought him into the Pakistan Cricket is no longer in power. Ahead of the elections, Pakistan is under a caretaker set-up.
“The court has summoned the secretary of the Election Commission, federal government representatives and other parties for the hearing on 28th June,” PTI quoted a source.
The judge asked Ashraf’s lawyer when the Cricket Management Committee is intended to hold the elections of PCB? The source said the judge expressed concerns that until now the Pakistan Cricket Board has not issued any election schedule. However, Ashraf’s lawyer assured the election schedule would be made available to the court by Monday.
During the hearing, the lawyer accused the secretary of the ministry of IPC that he wanted to bring his own person as PCB chairman.
“Anything can happen next week even though the Asia Cup launches in Multan on August 30,” the source said.
Since Ramiz Raja was removed as Chairman in December last year, the board has been run by two back-to-back CMCs without an elected head.
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