Balochistan High Court temporarily halts PCB chairman election

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman election has been temporarily halted by the Balochistan High Court. On Monday, Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Amir Nawaz issued a stay order, postponing the elections until July 17.

Former member of PCB management committee, Shakil Shaikh, also confirmed the aforementioned development on his Twitter account.

Breaking: PCB Chairman’s Election scheduled for June 27 has been stayed by Balochistan High Court. Arguments will be taken up on July 17th.
Hoorah! #PCBChairElectionStayed#PCBElection #ZakaElectionStayed pic.twitter.com/CjSfHG2YKM

— Shakil Shaikh (@shakilsh58) June 26, 2023

The election for the PCB Chairman was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, June 27, at the PCB headquarters in Lahore.

Gul Mohammad Kakar, a former member of the PCB management committee, filed a petition aiming to challenge the elections for the PCB Chairman.

The petitioner requested the court to halt the chairman elections and temporarily suspend the Board of Governors (BoG) until their petitions are addressed.

The petition also argued that the establishment of the BoG went against the nominations of the former management committee, and any meeting held between the BoG and the election of the PCB Chairman would be considered illegal.

Former chief of the PCB Management Committee, Najam Sethi, recently announced his withdrawal from the race for PCB Chairman. This decision has shifted the focus onto the former PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, who is now considered the frontrunner for the position. Ashraf previously served as the chairman of the PCB and appears to be favored by many to assume the role once again.

Nevertheless, it appears that Zaka Ashraf may face several obstacles before he can officially take charge as the PCB Chairman.