April 23, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 05, 1428

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LAHORE, April 22: Col Mohammad Pervez, one of the 80 employees sacked by Pakistan Cricket Board last week, claimed that some officials with vested interests had changed the performance evaluation committee’s report, under which a gross termination of employees was ordered.

"I have confirmed and authentic information that the report that formed the basis of termination of these employees was not the original report which had been prepared by basing the evaluation on the globally acceptable evaluation criteria," Pervez told a press conference on Sunday.

Later, the PCB chairman restored the services of 69 lower grade employees. But 11 executives including Pervez, who was a general manager, remained suspended.

"Though the original report was prepared without any bias or prejudice, but some of the employees who have been retained being the favourites of the PCB chairman while some of the employees whose services have been terminated had been rated very high/suitable in the original report," Pervez claimed.

"In order to facilitate retention of the chairman's favourites, the evaluation criteria was very intelligently, fraudulently and cunningly changed to ensure that the chairman's favourites emerged with higher ratings thus making the way for their retention and even promotion," he further said.

He said when any one manipulate with the fundamentals like the evaluation criteria as had been done in the case, it called maneuvering to achieve the desired results.

"That's exactly what Ferguson Associates did on the instructions of some responsible person authorized by Dr Nasim Ashraf. It indeed is a case of intellectual dishonesty and the PCB staff has been cheated," he said.

He further claimed Ferguson Associates was to be paid around Rs4 million for this compliance out of which a part payment of approximately Rs2 million had already been made as per available information.

He said the PCB suddenly changed the service rules on April 13 and suspended the employees under new rules.

"PCB within 24 hours reinstated 69 staff members and yet the following day one more employee was reinstated making the total employees reinstated to 70 leaving only 10 who still stand terminated. It means that around Rs4million were spent to get rid of three permanent employees and seven contractual employees," he said.

He urged President Pervez Musharraf, chairman National Assembly Standing Committee for sports, Zafar Iqbal, chairman senate standing committee for sports and their members to intervene and to take appropriate action.

He also criticised former Pakistan captain Imran Khan for inducting his men in the PCB, violating the rules of justice, for which his party was struggling in the country.

In this connection, he pointed out that Zakir Khan was appointed as director cricket operation on the recommendation of Imran and the man was not able to bear such a heavy load of work.

He said the PCB chairman wanted to bring corporate culture in the board, but if it was a culture that a regular employee Mohammad Mushtaq (General Manager account) just went to bathroom but when he came back to his office room, he found newly appointed chief financial officer had occupied his seat saying it was his room and he should find another for himself.