ISLAMABAD, Aug 10: The Senate Standing Committee on Sports continued to tighten the noose around the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) with a senator calling for its former chief executive Ramiz Raja's name to be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
In a meeting of the committee on Tuesday, that was attended by top officials of the PCB, senator Enver Baig said that until the audit of accounts for the recent Pakistan-India series was not conducted, Ramiz should not be allowed to proceed abroad.
The senate body's probe into the affairs of the PCB and the causes of Pakistan's downfall to India, took a new turn after the board's treasurer Muhammad Naeem, who resigned on May 13, submitted a copy of his resignation to the house.
In his resignation, Naeem has levelled serious charges against the PCB chief Shaharyar M. Khan and said clearly that "transparency, financial probity and credibility do not seem to have been observed in the conduct of most of PCB affairs since assumption of office by you".
The document, once circulated in the meeting, proved to be quite embarrassing for Mr Khan, who was also asked by Mr Baig to submit Ramiz's resignation to the committee, as verbal agreements had no legal standing.
Ramiz had verbally conveyed to Mr Khan that he would not be able to continue apparently because of his pressing broadcast commitments. The announcement of his resignation was made on Sunday by the chairman himself.
Mr Baig, the most vocal of all senators insisted that Ramiz be summoned in the next meeting of the committee which is headed by Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry. He stressed that if found guilty of wrongdoing, he be handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
While praising Mr Khan's services as a former diplomat, Mr Baig minced no words in saying that he had made a mess of cricket affairs. "He was a good foreign secretary but his handling of the PCB has left a lot to be desired."
Objections were also raised over Mr Khan's financial powers as the head of the board. "How come he has full financial freedom when even the prime minister does not have such powers."
Mr Khan was under fire throughout the meeting that went on for about an hour and a half as he tried unsuccessfully to defend himself. But he reluctantly conceded that some of the decisions that had to be taken in context of the Pakistan-India series were "not according to the book".
However, Mr Khan told the house that he had asked for an audit of the Pakistan-India series for the period between January to August 2004, which once done would be submitted before the committee.
He also agreed to bring before the senators, the appointment letters of consultants Abbas Zaidi and Riaz Mahmood, the LUMS report, contracts of Pakistan team coach Bob Woolmer and other foreigners associated with the national team, which he said were in the process of being signed.
The PCB head was also accused of "flouting all rules and regulations" by Mr Baig who said loud and clear that Mr Khan was taking the senate committee for a ride. Mr Baig ridiculed Mr Khan's achievements since taking charge, which he had mentioned in his response to a questionnaire given by the senator in an earlier meeting.
Among them is the appointment of Woolmer, forming of a junior selection committee and bringing transparency in the affairs of the Board. The controversy over the transfer of a "certain amount", in fixed deposit of PCB's account with Allied Bank to another bank, also came up for discussion.
The board's bankers did not act on their instructions only because Ramiz is their paid employee, it was pointed out by Mr Baig. Mr Khan was unable to satisfy the meeting on the subject which was termed by the senator as a "complete violation of all banking laws."
Meanwhile, a number of other senators including Kamil Ali Agha, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Waseem Shahzad and Prof M. Saeed Siddiqui also put forth their suggestions. Mr Kamil Ali Agha asked for "satisfactory" answers to his questions as to why Pakistan lost to India at home for the first time in a series while Mr Zafar Iqbal pointed out that people had lost interest in cricket because of that defeat.
