As both Najam Sethi and Zaka Ashraf have the support of the ministers, the competition for the position of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief has begun to flare up.
Najam Sethi, the current head of the PCB’s interim management committee, has requested the support of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. On the other hand, Zaka Ashraf is in contact with Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari, the Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination.
Notably, Ashraf enjoys the complete support of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), whereas Sethi is devoted to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). In addition, both parties have been making significant efforts to have their respective candidates approved by the PCB’s principal patron, the country’s prime minister. As was the case in recent years, the nominee for Prime Minister won the election.
In December 2022, Sethi was appointed chairman of the interim committee, with elections planned for the following months. Due to the fact that elections have yet to be conducted in a number of regions, Sethi’s term has been extended until June 20.
However, as the contest for the PCB chief heats up, multiple reports from The Dawn indicate that the PPP would like its representative to be elected as the PCB chief because they believe it is their right, given that the Ministry for Interprovincial Coordination has also been assigned to the PPP.
The Dawn quoted a PPP representative as saying, “It is strange that the interim committee, which was mandated to hold free and fair elections, has yet to do so, and now Sethi wants to become the new chairman; we will resist that move as Zaka is our candidate.”
However, those in favour of Sethi’s reelection have presented compelling arguments in his favour. Reportedly, PML-N representatives argued that in his brief tenure as PCB chairman, Sethi has brought international cricket back to Pakistan and has also been vigilant in the Asia Cup hosting dispute.
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