October 14, 2006	Saturday	Ramazan 20, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 13: A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Sports will be held on October 30 to discuss an eight-point agenda that includes the Oval Test fiasco and resignation of former Pakistan Cricket Board (PBC) chairman, Shaharyar Khan.

According to a Senate Secretariat notification, the meeting has been convened by the chairman of the committee, Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, under Rule 163(4) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate 1988 in response to the requisition notice submitted by four members, including three from the opposition benches.

The meeting has been requisitioned by Senator Enver Baig of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP), Senator Dr Kausar Firdaus of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA), Senator Abdur Rahim Khan Mandokhel of the Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and Senator Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

The notification says that the Senate body meeting has been convened "to discuss the Oval Test match fiasco" and consequently the four-match ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on captain Inzamamul Haq.

The committee will also look into the reasons behind the decision of former PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan to resign from the office, besides discussing the "cricketing background" of the new chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf.

The poor performance of the Pakistan cricket team on the recently-concluded England tour as well as Pakistan under-19 team against India at home is also part of the agenda for the October 30 meeting.

The committee will also review the performance of the PCB Selection Committee with particular reference to its failure to find an opening pair for the national cricket team. The senators will also ask the PCB officials to apprise the Senate body about the steps taken by the Board during the last three years for talent hunt.

Senators Razina Alam Khan, Rehana Yahya Baloch, Fauzia Fakharuz Zaman, Haroon Akhtar, Sabina Rauf, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem Khan and Federal Minister for Toursim Nilofar Bakhtiar are other members of the committee while Federal Minister for Sports and Culture Mian Shamim Haider will attend the meeting as its ex-officio member.