Ministry of IPC urges PCB to conduct early elections

The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has issued a directive for the prompt conduct of elections for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which is currently being managed by an interim setup led by Zaka Ashraf.

In a letter issued by IPC, addressed to Election Commissioner PCB Mahmood Iqbal and Adjudicator PCB Justice Retired Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, the IPC conveyed the need for early elections to elect the Chairman of the PCB and urged the Election Commissioner and Adjudicator to provide their full support and cooperation in this regard.

“I am directed to refer the subject captioned above and to 4th September 2023 addressed to Chairman Management Committee, PCB regarding completion of the primary assigned tasks of formation of the BoG and conduct of early elections of the Chairman, PCB. It requested the Election Commissioner and Adjudicator to extend full support and cooperation in this matter," the letter stated.

According to media reports, a previous letter dated September 4 mentioned the formation of a second interim management committee on July 5, 2023, chaired by Ashraf, with the purpose of organizing elections.

Despite repeated requests from the Ministry to outline a roadmap for the nomination of Board of Governors (BoG) members and the election of the PCB Chairman, there has been a lack of action and willingness on the part of the management committee to conduct these elections.

It has come to light that the Election Commissioner of Pakistan had previously directed the removal of all institution heads appointed based on political considerations to ensure transparency in general elections. As a result, the Ministry of IPC sought clarification from the Prime Minister’s office regarding Ashraf's appointment.

The Ministry's call for elections coincides with the PCB dealing with other urgent matters, notably the finalization of the squad for the upcoming World Cup, following the team’s disappointing performance in the recent Asia Cup.