Najam Sethi withdraws candidacy, Zaka Ashraf set to return as PCB chairman

Najam Sethi has announced that he has withdrawn from the race to become the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Currently serving as the chairman of the PCB Management Committee, Sethi shared this information through a tweet on Tuesday morning.

 In his tweet, he expressed his desire to avoid being a source of conflict between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif, emphasizing that the instability and uncertainty caused by such conflicts would not be beneficial for the PCB.

"Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders," Sethi wrote.

Salaam everyone! I don’t want to be a bone of contention between Asif Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif. Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances I am not a candidate for Chairmanship of PCB. Good luck to all stakeholders.

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) June 19, 2023

Earlier, Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari, the Federal Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination (IPC), had reaffirmed that Zaka Ashraf, who has the support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), will become the next chairman of the PCB.

Mazari clarified that Sethi was appointed temporarily to conduct elections and restore the 2014 constitution as per the directives of PM Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the patron of the PCB.

Initially, the management committee was given 120 days to fulfill its mandate of restoring the 2014 constitution, which aimed to revive departmental cricket. However, a four-week extension was granted to Sethi and his team, which expires on June 20.

Mazari emphasized that there would be no further extension for the management committee, indicating that Zaka Ashraf would assume the role of PCB chairman. Ashraf previously served as PCB chairman during the last PPP government, and according to reports, the party's senior leadership once again desires their candidate to lead the PCB.