September 22, 2008	Monday	Ramazan 21, 1429

ISLAMABAD, Sept 21: The Federal Sports Ministry has decided to take charge of all financial, administrative and operational matters of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) pending the appointment of a new chairman, according to a source in the Sports Ministry.

The post of PCB chairman has been lying vacant for a month since the resignation of Dr Nasim Ashraf the day President Pervez Musharraf, the Patron-in-Chief of PCB, decided to step down.

The official requesting not to be named, told Dawn on Sunday that the notification has been drafted in consultation with the Federal Law Ministry and is likely to be issued on Monday.

“We got a go-ahead from the Law Ministry after it vetted the one page document binding PCB to follow the Sports Ministry’s instructions,” he said.

The notification came after the Federal Sports Minister, Najamuddin Khan, gave a brief statement in the media on September 17 that “the ministry would soon issue a notification directing PCB to respond until the appointment of a new chairman”.

The official added that the ministry is very concerned about the board’s current financial condition.

Regarding the appointment of a new chairman, the official said it all depended on President Zardari who is also the Patron- in-Chief of the board.

PCB official spokesman Mansur Sohail when contacted said, “We have not received the notification yet but whenever we receive it, we would check its practicability.”

“The Sports Ministry might have also checked its practicability,” he expressed.

Meanwhile, a PCB board member on the condition of anonymity termed such a notification a draconian law on the independent PCB.

“Show me one single example where a board is being run by the Sports Ministry?” He asked.

The board official added: “Making PCB answerable to Sports Ministry means that our corporate working will be affected badly.”

The board member said, “We are an independent body with its board of directors and answerable to the patron-in-chief only.”