PCB scrutiny body chief dismissal: PHC puts federal govt on notice

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday put on notice the federal government in a petition filed against the dismissal of the chairman of the scrutiny committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)

A two-member bench comprising Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Muhammad Ijaz Khan heard the petition.Bilal Kakazai Advocate appeared before the bench for the petitioner, Arbab Altaf. Deputy Attorney General Ubaidullah represented the federal government.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that his client, Arbab Altaf, was the chairman of the PCB scrutiny committee and was removed from his position by PCB Chairman Syed Mohsin Naqvi. He said the appointment of the PCB chairman was in itself illegal.

Explaining his point, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had appointed Mohsin Naqvi as the PCB chairman even though he was not authorized to name the permanent chairman of the PCB.

Justice SM Attique Shah observed that the cricket in Pakistan had been ruined. He asked the counsel for the petitioner what was the procedure for selection in the cricket bodies in other countries.

The counsel petitioner said the prime ministers would make some such selections in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the past but the mode had been changed now.He said independent bodies selected the chairmen and others in India and Afghanistan, adding in Pakistan the selections were made on political bases.

The counsel said Pakistan had made the rules for the cricket bodies of Afghanistan and South Korea.“They are acting upon the rules framed by us but we in Pakistan are not following our procedures,” he argued.

The court asked the counsel for the petitioner to challenge the rules in a court in the public interest if they had been affected by these cricket body rules.The court adjourned the hearing into the case to July 12 after directing the deputy attorney general to submit a reply by that date.