April 11, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, April 10: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to send women's cricket teams abroad unless disputes are resolved and standards improved.

Chairman of the committee, MNA Rai Azizullah Khan told Dawn on Monday that the PCB chief Shaharyar M. Khan had agreed to it following a meeting here that discussed several cricketing matters at length.

The PCB was also told to furnish details of allowances it paid to its officials for the past two years for local and international tours besides also submitting information on a host of other subjects, in the next meeting.

The details are being sought through a letter submitted by MNA Syed Tasneem Nawaz Gardezi with Mr Azizullah.

In the letter, the PCB has been asked to disclose the number of cars in its use which are said to be worth millions of rupees and the daily expenditure incurred on them for their running.

The board was also asked to explain why ‘irregular promotions’ were made in contradiction of existing rules and regulations. Examples cited are all promotions made to the general manager grade without following a proper criteria.

Earlier, a four-member sub-committee was constituted under the convenorship of MNA Riaz Fatiyana to look into the reported row between the PCB and the women's cricket associations.

The committee will suggest ways to improve women's cricket which the house felt was lagging behind because of the dispute between the associations.

Mr Azizullah pointed out that the matter could have been resolved had the PCB acted promptly. He asked Shaharyar to bring all women's associations on board so that they could work collectively.

Mr Shaharyar briefed the meeting on what the PCB was doing for organising women's cricket. He said that a women's wing in the Board had been set up to run the affairs both at the domestic and international levels.

Meanwhile, the PCB is required to come up with answers and explanations on the following matters which are part of Mr Tasneem's letter:

1. Report of LUMS and implementation of their recommendations

a) How much fee paid to them; b) outcome of the report and its implementation justifying money paid to LUMS.

2. List of guests invited from India and England for home series along with the list sent to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for matches there and guest taken along.

3. Irregular promotions, contradicting existing rules and regulations of PCB e.g all promotions made to general manager grade without any criteria and not taking any legal action for irregularities like overage people being made general managers (lower grade employees also promoted in contradiction of existing PCB rules/regulations).

4. Wrong distribution of cars worth millions of rupees and presently in their use. List with number of cars along with their daily expenditure.

5. Properties owned by PCB and rented out. If there is any further purchase, details of each property (sale/purchase/rent).

6. Details of money being paid since June 2004 to various officials and persons on contract including local and foreign coaches/trainers/physios/doctors and any other official attached with the national teams.

7. Details of TA/DA paid to PCB officials for the past two years for local and foreign tours.