The sordid adjournment of the meeting of PCB’s Board of Governors in Quetta has left an ugly mark on the face of Pakistan cricket. Five BoG members went publically against Ehsan Mani whom they had elected their chairman only in August.
It was the first time in the history of PCB that such a high-level meeting was held in Quetta and poignant action of these members have left a bad impression about Pakistan cricket which binds the people from Khyber/Makran to Karachi.
Soon after the recitation of the Holy Quran, five out of seven members of the BoG led by Nauman Butt, tabled a resolution declaring the appointment of Wasim Khan as managing director as “null and void”.
“Appointment of managing director [Wasim Khan] along with the creation of the unconstitutional post of MD PCB is hereby declared null and void,” read a copy of the resolution, which they wanted to be adopted during today’s BoG meeting. The funny part of the resolution was that four of its signatories had already endorsed the appointment of Khan in December.
The resolution didn’t mention the unconstitutional appointment of Shafqat Hussain Naghmi. “https://www.
It is widely alleged in cricket circles that Nauman and fellow members of BoG did this amid instigation of Shakil Shaikh, the most disliked person in cricket fraternity of Pakistan. ScoreLine had already apprised its readers through an article: The nasty incident during the BoG meeting in Quetta vindicated our fears.
Shakil Shaikh is desperate to stage a comeback in PCB and he would play every dirty trick to achieve his goal. Soon after Imran Khan took over the oath of PM, he became active and made several futile attempts to win favour of the Patron-in-Chief. In last few weeks he was spotted with Naeemul Haq, an advisor of the PM, and through him lobbying vigorously.
He shrewdly used his acquaintance with Naeem for his personal gain and during the proceedings of the recently concluded Pakistan One Day Cup, he also gathered few members of the BoG in Rawalpindi/Islamabad where allegedly the whole script was drafted to disturb the BoG meeting in Quetta, which only a few days ago have bled amid a terrorist attack.
Shakil’s timing is praiseworthy. He chose a time when Imran Khan is totally focused to improve the diminishing image of his government. Shakil has succeeded in his design to create a dent in PCB management.
He has demonstrated his strength and invited Mani to negotiate with him for his reentry in PCB. He is not alone in the conspiracy against Wasim Khan but has the active support of PCB Mafia. Subhan Ahmed is ruling PCB since infinity. How can he keep silent when his own wings are being clipped?
Nauman, a staunch PML (N) leader from Gujranwala, is maternal nephew (Bhanja) of Ghulam Dastgeer Khan and cousin of Khurram Dastgeer Khan, former federal ministers in PML (N) government. Like his uncle who was involved in dispersing a public meeting of Madar-e-Millat in Gujranwala in the 1960s, Nauman has also done the same with the BoG meeting in Quetta.
The acrimony of PTI and PML (N) in the political field has now reached to the cricket field. The first-ever high-level meeting of PCB couldn’t be held in Quetta. The action of BoG members is unprecedented and tantamount to revolt and no-confidence against Mani.
Would Imran Khan or Mani be influenced by such third-degree tactics by a handful of blackmailers? The same junta of the BoG has also vehemently opposed abolishing departmental cricket in its resolution.
Will PCB Mafia challenge Wasim’s appointment in the Lahore High Court that facilitates PML (N) out of way? If they challenged then Shafqat Naghmi’s unconstitutional appointment would be also under threat. Does the present mess in PCB await an ad-hoc from the Patron?