SC suspends IHC ruling, reinstates Sethi as PCB chief
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Supreme Court Wednesday restored Najam Sethi as the country's cricket chief, four days after he was ousted by a lower court, the latest twist in a legal saga dogging the game.
The court suspended a ruling by the Islamabad High Court on Saturday that had removed Sethi, annulled all decisions made under his management and reinstated Zaka Ashraf to the post.
Saturday's ruling had thrown the appointment of new head coach Waqar Younis, batting coach Grant Flower and spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed, all made under Sethi, into doubt.
Court orders and government decrees have now seen the leadership of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) change hands between Sethi and Ashraf five times in the past year.
The musical chairs have come at a time when cricket's world governing body is undergoing major changes, leading many to fear Pakistan's interests are not being properly represented.
In February the government -- Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is PCB patron -- installed an 11-member committee headed by Sethi to run the board temporarily.
The aim was for the committee to draw up changes to the PCB constitution to make it more democratic and hold elections for the post of chairman -- and thereby bring an end to the battles in the courts.
This plan was thrown into disarray by Saturday's ruling but Wednesday's supreme court order means all the decisions taken by Sethi are now valid.
Sethi, a veteran journalist who also served as caretaker chief minister of Punjab before last year's general election, insisted had no desire to run the PCB long-term.
“I have no interest to keep this post for a long time,” he said.
“We have drafted a democratic constitution of the PCB which, as soon as endorsed by the government, will allow us to hold elections of the PCB.”
Sethi has said he wants to hold elections for the board and chairman by June 9.
The chairmanship has been a topic of controversy ever since the cricket board's inception in 1948.
The ruling political party of the day in the cricket-crazy country generally gives the post to one of its supporters.
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On DawnNews
Comments (106) Closed
May 21, 2014 11:04am
Is this some kind of game? No sense of honour for all these judges and court.
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May 21, 2014 11:04am
How right was Musharraf about our judiciary!!!
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May 21, 2014 11:04am
it only happens in Pakistan,,,, sad, very sad
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May 21, 2014 11:05am
I hope cricket does not suffer as a result. They judges have already killed LAW and ORDER. Lets hope they do not kill BAT and BALL with their Macho attitude.
Najam Sethi we have a lot of expectation from you. Wish you all the best!
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May 21, 2014 11:07am
Hahahaha
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May 21, 2014 11:09am
oh come on give me some break..!
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May 21, 2014 11:10am
Complete and utter joke! A laughing stock in front of the world!
Beyond logic. Shows the extent of chaos and pathetic Ness across ALL institutions from top to bottom.
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May 21, 2014 11:11am
just give up zaka-najam game and bring someone new ...
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May 21, 2014 11:14am
Mr Zaka Ashraf,
If you cannot understand it by now---please have someone tell you that it is your time to go away. Regardless if you were right or wronged---does not make any difference. Please---just move ahead with your life---.
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May 21, 2014 11:14am
oh no!
oh yes!
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May 21, 2014 11:20am
This is a lousy state of affairs of this country.
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May 21, 2014 11:25am
Favoritism has always been rampant in this country. No matter what a laughing stock the country or its institutions become, the government wants people of its choice - in the name of democracy. This is Demo-Crazy!!!
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May 21, 2014 11:28am
Good lord! Things are so pathetic in Pakistan that it leaves me speechless. Don't know if I should cry or laugh? Be angry or be sad?
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May 21, 2014 11:30am
why these greedy r not thinking for other sports like hockey foot ball squash etc?
MONEY ? where is country in this fight? my foot
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May 21, 2014 11:33am
Please IMPORT Laloo Prashad from India and make him PCB Chairman.
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May 21, 2014 11:36am
And the circus continues.....
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May 21, 2014 11:36am
Next Move in this game of Chess?...... sorry it is cricket is it??
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May 21, 2014 11:39am
lolz tom and jerry show
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May 21, 2014 11:42am
When will we see judiciary punished for its wrong decisions, mockery of justice system and making the whole country a laughing stock??
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May 21, 2014 11:44am
only happens in Pakistan. 100% pure topi drama!!!
Next thing will be that you are suspended from ICC membership and that's the end of cricket in Pakistan
This is exactly what the big three want
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May 21, 2014 11:44am
Good job. Zaka should go.
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May 21, 2014 11:44am
Good cricket by IHC, Zaka Ashraf , Najim Sethi and SC..... keep it up!
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May 21, 2014 11:45am
hahaaha.....great now zaka ashraf will appeal in sc and then he will be reinstated again....then najam sethi will appeal and so on and so forth....and when world cup will be two months away PCB will have two chairmans(this is possible in Pakistan)......
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May 21, 2014 11:46am
ROFL....What's going on here....Common guys grow up....
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May 21, 2014 11:46am
It is not T20 but it is T10 matches
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May 21, 2014 11:47am
Please stop this non sense, what is going on here, is court vs court match going on ?? as cricket staunch fan I request to ICC intervene and stop this menace and save pakistan cricket for embarrassing further.
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May 21, 2014 11:50am
today earlier in the morning i was thinking of watching andaz apna apna movie to get some entertainment but now i will follow PCB chairman mess...this is even funnier than andaz apna apna......
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May 21, 2014 11:51am
Such a comedy! Pakistan is facing so much trouble and they are fighting for cricket, which has no future .... at least for now.
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May 21, 2014 11:57am
Our institutions are a joke.
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May 21, 2014 12:01pm
mean while as there is no cricket in pakistan, there is a t20 match going on between zaka ashraf and najam sethi. Also i wonder how these courts work.
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May 21, 2014 12:05pm
More drama to follow. Stay tuned.
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May 21, 2014 12:09pm
One would think that the apex court's judges can not make mistakes. There are times when the SC can send the case back to the lower court to review the decision in that case the lower courts are expected to do a better job. If the lower courts keep making mistakes then what is their job? Accountability is what is needed now for making poor decision. I do not expect this legal wrangling to go away soon. This is a good way to entertain the masses.
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May 21, 2014 12:09pm
What a shame. we are destroying our institutions for personal wrangling over the appointment. We have been made a laughing stock in the game of cricketing world. The court decisions passed in this regard from time to time it self shows how divergent these are. Seems that the decisions are totally void of any merits rather passed on the whims of honourable judges. Our judiciary should be held responsible for the mess by paralyzing the institutions through such decisions. As a nation we are unfortunate that the politics has permeated the entire state organs and in this case ours once flourishing PCB is at the mercy of the like of Najam Sethi and Zaka Asharf...
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May 21, 2014 12:12pm
It's courts' turn to bat. hahaha
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May 21, 2014 12:13pm
Cricket cricket no PaPa........ "Chirya Urana YES PaPa".......... Somebody got to put this Chirya behind the bars.............
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May 21, 2014 12:16pm
lagay raho munna bhai.. or should we say BUS KARDO MUNNA BHAI.. how tragically funny this is! NO INTL cricket in Pakistan since ever and PCB chairmanship has become a PING PONG!
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May 21, 2014 12:17pm
Total chaos! One ruling comes, and later it is devoid! What a SYSTEM!
#PCBChaos #PEMRAJoke #PeaceTalks #GovtIncompetence
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May 21, 2014 12:17pm
Sheer mockery. We are a joker nation, come world come laugh at us.
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May 21, 2014 12:17pm
@Taimoor As a laymen we- the masses - believe that at best SC should have sent notices to all concerned parties to listen to their version(s) but should not have suspended the IHC
ruling so soon...instantly and without hearing the parties. SC may be right in doing so but still it does seem to be a decision in haste.
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May 21, 2014 12:19pm
Reminds of the joke: PML-N has bought the SC Judge directly instead of the lawyer :D
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May 21, 2014 12:22pm
Musical chairs at its best. Pakistan once again making themselves the laughing stock in the world
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May 21, 2014 12:30pm
I thought Football World Cup is starting in June, but it has started in Pakistan in May.. Brazil needs some Referees for WC, they can hire Pakistani Judges. What a humiliation ? But we are Pakistanis and we do not care for humiliation, but vendetta. Let us see who wins the match. Good luck to both teams.
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May 21, 2014 12:37pm
Shame on govt for making these trivial decisions to appear in the court .But at last the ball goes into Sethi's court.No doubt his rewards will also furtuhr increase for punctures in the elections and supporting Big 3
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May 21, 2014 12:40pm
Pakistani courts 'gilli danda ka khel' shame on such judiciary
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May 21, 2014 12:42pm
We would be much better off without the ridiculous institution that we call.....GOVERNMENT.
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May 21, 2014 12:44pm
@Adnan GOLDEN WORDS.
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May 21, 2014 12:46pm
Remember one thing, only those legal practitioners opt to join the judiciary in Pakistan who do not see a bright future in practicing as lawyers. These are the guys whom you can call as second raters. (The likes of SM Zafar, Sharif ud din Pirzada and AK Brohi make tons of money through their practice and would never opt to be judges). Above all judges are not put through any rigourous training as is done in the western world. Their professional skills are quite limited besides corruption being another factor, which is rampant in our judiciary. That is why there is a complete chaos in our justice system, not to speak of law making which is utterly dismal.
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May 21, 2014 12:53pm
Yet another PING in the game of Ping Pong.
I fail to understand why Judiciary cannot recognize that Zaka came in as an "elected" Chairman whereas Najam was a "temp" for four months till such time PCB decides/elects another Chairman. What made the matters dubious was Mr. Sethi started spreading his wings and now wying for the ever powerful post on a permanent basis.
I said this before and repeat this again that very soon we will see ICC stepping in and wrapping up the matters (read suspending PCB's membership).
May The Almighty put some sense in the Apex court and let that decision be of justice and prevail. Aamen
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May 21, 2014 01:05pm
@Rakesh Kumar
Even if ICC intervenes, our judges will not stop. They never even cared about the constitution of the Pakistan and gave powers to an individual (Gen. Musharraf) to amend it at his will - to expect them to respect cricket and national pride will be a fool's wish.
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May 21, 2014 01:06pm
Monkey games. You are destroying cricket dude. Appoint one guy and leave him. zaka sacked then sethi sacked then formation of adhoc committee then sethi back again then sacked now order stayed what next.... They are making mess.
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May 21, 2014 01:08pm
Ball tampering eat your heart out...this is court tampering.
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May 21, 2014 01:11pm
Shame on SC judges and Nawaz Shahbaz dooub maro tm chuolo bhar pani mey
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May 21, 2014 01:12pm
Save cricket in Pakistan, dear Judges of the Supreme court.
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May 21, 2014 01:12pm
This is more thrilling than a cricket match!!!!!
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May 21, 2014 01:13pm
@Adnan
I, 2nd this comment, very true. Its a joke. However, out of the two Najam Sehti is better at least he sorted out sl tour and nz to uae plus hopefully india series. Zaka cud never have done that.
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May 21, 2014 01:18pm
The whole thing is a joke. Brings shame on the game and above all Pakistan
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May 21, 2014 01:33pm
Zaka-Nijam game is more interesting than the cricket game of our team...
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May 21, 2014 01:35pm
What a joke by SC judges? Look like govt pressure on them.
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May 21, 2014 02:29pm
If anybody thinks that cricket and players performance will not be effected by this Tom and Jerry then you are just joking with yourself.
Sadly Pakistan Cricket Board has a dark future where these two gentlemen will bisect the entire entity, its law and its practices.
Geo Super and PTV Sports wrestling over live broadcasting rights is also on stake.
Finally the whole nation would see the tragic consequences on ground live on television it wont be long just wait for 2015 ICC world cup!!
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May 21, 2014 02:37pm
Those asking for ICC interference or a ban from them...take a grip. ICC cannot ban a country just because of
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May 21, 2014 02:38pm
@Muzlee Surprisingly so fast decision
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May 21, 2014 02:38pm
@Adnan Tere janey kay baad teri yaad aaye.
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May 21, 2014 02:40pm
@amjad Or a compromise solution could be to have 4 Chairmen. One each for test, ODIs, T20s and Domestic cricket. PPP, PTI, PML-N and MQM can each nominate one person!
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May 21, 2014 02:59pm
Mr. Zaka and Mr. Sethi please grab a 'coin' and toss it. Whoever wins becomes 'PCB chief'.
Its about Cricket so lets do it in Cricketing way
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May 21, 2014 03:09pm
The speed with which the case/decision was taken creates a lot of doubts. While cases which effect national interests have been procrastinated for years and months, this inconsequential matter has been tackled at lightning speed. Had the Court taken up the cases of loan defaulters, rigging in elections, payment from secret funds to journalists, missing persons and numerous other pending cases with the same speed, we would have reduced some of the mess that we are in. Reportedly Najam Sethi had informed his cronies that he was certain of relief. It is strange that the government which is faced with numerous problems is more interested in solving the problem of a single individual. This lends credence to "35 puncture" story.
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May 21, 2014 03:36pm
Sethi vs Zaka: we need a super over!!!
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May 21, 2014 03:46pm
Those asking for ICC interference or a ban from them...take a grip. ICC cannot ban a country just because of
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May 21, 2014 04:14pm
Game of thrones comedy version :)
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May 21, 2014 04:14pm
Rightly said its not musical chair anymore its revolving door.
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May 21, 2014 04:22pm
And the fun goes on and on......
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May 21, 2014 04:57pm
Appoint one of the retired judges chairman of the PCB. No one will challenge his appointment.
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May 21, 2014 05:15pm
@Taimoor
Well you happen in Pakistan aswell. Whats your contribution to rectify the ills of society.
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May 21, 2014 05:17pm
@VIC
Yeh bara dheeth shaks hei.People like Zaka have neither shame nor honor.
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May 21, 2014 05:36pm
Ha ha ha! Pakistani politics never ceases to amaze me. This is entertainment at its best. Better than Shoaib Akthars fastest ball and better than Wasim Akram's reverse swing!. This beats all of them out of the water. Put Zaka Ashraf and Najam Sethi along with Nawaz Shariff and the High Court and throw in the mix of Supreme Court you have a plot better than any Hollywood blockbuster. This is why I love to read Dawn!
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May 21, 2014 05:59pm
What a shame. Corrupt gets relief within hours while while poor people have to wait decades for Insaf.
Shame on you Najam Sethi no wonder, I now find it true the rumors, that you are blackmailing Sharif's Govt. that if this post
is not given to you, you will expose them for rigging elections. As such Shariff are left with no choice but fulfill your demand.
It is easy to sit with your slaves and answer prefixed question but difficult to face questions by press, no wonder you ran away.when asked for 20 million tax penalty relief. for owning apartment in USA..
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May 21, 2014 06:08pm
I always had thought pak produced gr8 players like wasim,waqar,shoiab n many but now finally come to know "sethi n Ashraf" play better game ;)
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May 21, 2014 06:36pm
Non-stop non-sense!
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May 21, 2014 06:46pm
Can we not find a blasphemous excuse to get rid of both of them.
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May 21, 2014 07:11pm
Our Judiciary is so funny. Can anyone trust them?
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May 21, 2014 08:00pm
Sad that even the judges have joined this sordid drama.
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May 21, 2014 08:13pm
Will the real PCB chief please stand up?
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May 21, 2014 08:33pm
The government should put a TAX on this entertainment .....at least they will make some money !
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May 21, 2014 09:00pm
What a speedy Justice? Only PML (N) and Geo members can get such speedy justice. This only happens in Pakistan.
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May 21, 2014 09:09pm
Bunch of jokers!!!
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May 21, 2014 09:27pm
Ha,ha,ha. This is the best comedy drama I've ever see. Thank you PCB for entertaining us.
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May 21, 2014 09:49pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAH !!!!!!
ITS A JOKE ;)
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May 21, 2014 10:04pm
@zee I love it.
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May 22, 2014 12:07am
Look at what is happening in Pakistan and how Pakistanis complain about others.
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May 22, 2014 01:27am
After this comedy drama, I am not sure how many of the ex-cricketers or others would be ready to sign a contract, who has other jobs as they would never be sure what would happen to their contracts even a few days later. The ultimate sufferer would be Pakistan Cricket and World Cricket in general.
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May 22, 2014 02:38am
These judges have lost all the respect. Bring back the former CJ!
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May 22, 2014 03:44am
All this drama is very annoying & stupid! Ashraf was first suspended back in May due to dubious elections. Then in June Sethi came, & he was supposed to have elections held by late July; which never happened. Moving to January, Ashraf was reinstated. In February he was suspended again, this time to do the Prime Minister. Sethi returns, and now after 4 months he is suspended. Ashraf is back & he is suspended, so now Sethi is back after just 2 days.
The reasoning for Ashraf's return was because Nawaz Sharif did not specify a valid reason for his removal. Now, he is suspended again because Pakistan has realized that they will be in the hole 3 to 5 Crore Rupees. That is because Ashraf & the Islamabad High Court will terminate new contracts for those appointed during Sethi's 4 month term; they believe the new hirees are tainted players.
To clear up all this drama, elections need to held, a new constitution needs to be proposed & accepted, and lastly decide if the PCB will have a governing board or a management committee; either one headed by the chairman. In the elections, Sethi, Ashraf, & others can run.
Lastly, since the Courts love to get involved in cricket affairs, they should hire a security team to make sure that this time the elections are fair, not rigged!
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May 22, 2014 04:08am
How about making somebody who actually knows and has played cricket the chairman...maybe Wasim Akram. Now that is a novel idea.
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May 22, 2014 04:36am
@sarah shah
And we can have a three player musical chairs then, with IHC , the supreme court and the PM all controlling the music at the same time.
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May 22, 2014 04:39am
@Anees
Did you know Lalloo made Indian Railways profitable and was invited give a lecture on that topic at Harvard? He might actually fix PCB.
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May 22, 2014 04:42am
Upholding the law can sometimes seem chaotic. But it is a necessary evil. We should not give up on it or play right into the hands of dictators, elected or freeloaders. I am willing to take some drama as long as justice prevails in the end.
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May 22, 2014 05:06am
Is this final or do I wait for more drama, it's so entertaining I wish this should continue better than IPL
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May 22, 2014 05:23am
What a justice delivered by the judiciary of Pakistan within a period of 5 days space producing laughing stock for the world. Keep it up.
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May 22, 2014 06:38am
Just wondering that SC have no other cases to look after...WOW, it took only few days to deliver the verdict. There are millions of folks who are waiting for the justice but failed to get one due to this kind of preference from Justice system.
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May 22, 2014 07:28am
Forget cricket results, punters are betting on who the PCB head will be for the next one week duration.
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May 22, 2014 09:16am
What the Judges are doing...?
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May 22, 2014 10:00am
30-40...now Zaka serving...
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May 22, 2014 11:51am
Najm Sathi should now gracefully step down to allow genuine election in the board, to safe his reputation of an outstanding journalist and prove that he was actually a neutral Care Taker CM.
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May 22, 2014 11:58am
How prompt this Judge Saheb to decide the case in first hearing. Pitty with Zaka Asharaf, that judge took considerable time to re-instate him.
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May 23, 2014 03:42pm
For heavens sake why media is not highlighting the news that SC has not reinstated that buffoon rather they put PCB in a halt! He is not the chairman!!!!!!!!!
he is doing contempt of court!! please take this into account
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May 23, 2014 09:26pm
This shows seriousness about institution of National importance
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May 24, 2014 02:17pm
What are we complaining about? We have the ' PUNCTURE MAN '. He is going to fix lots of punctures! REJOICE............
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