LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in its new constitution has almost completely marginalised the role of the General Body which is unlike the practices followed in other national sports federations and in sports organisations around the world where it has a formidable presence in passing or amending their constitutions besides electing new office-bearers etc.

The PCB constitution’s Part-III states that the General Body will comprise PCB chairman, chief operating officer, chief financial operation, former two as ex-officio members, president or head from each full member, president or head from each associate member, and one representative from the Board’s Women Wing.

Full members will be all regions which are declared and recognised by the Board, all departments/service organisations playing first-class cricket, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council, Pakistan Deaf and Dumb Cricket Association and Veterans’ Cricket Association which is recognised by the Board.

The functions of the General Body listed in the constitution are:

1) The General Body shall recommend to the Board of Governors to:

a) admit any eligible Regional Cricket Association, District Cricket Association or Service Organisation to full membership of the Board;

b) grant associate membership of the Board to any eligible entity.

Furthermore, the General Body shall:

a) consider and express their views on the annual report and the future programmes of the Board;

b) consider and express its views on the audited accounts and budget estimates;

c) make suggestions to the Board of Governors to accord approval of any special grant to the Regional Cricket Associations or District Cricket Associations.

According to the constitution, the general body will meet only once in a calendar year.

Moreover, while the Wolf report asks all the affiliated countries to work without the interference of the government, the federal government here — in stark contrast to the ICC instructions — has added a clause in the PCB constitution according to which one of its representative as ex-officio will sit in the Governing Board meetings though it will not have the right of vote.

Moreover, the formerly introduced post of managing director has now been excluded from the constitution dated July 10, 2014. However, pundits believe a powerful

post akin to the MD could be introduced later on, perhaps, to accommodate the incumbent PCB chairman as a powerful man in the Board.

Currently, Sethi is not liable to be elected as the PCB chairman since he has announced before the Supreme Court that he will not be contesting the next elections. But Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as the patron of PCB, has the authority to make any amendment in the constitution whenever he wishes.

However, when Najam Sethi was contacted for his views on this issue, he said: “Shocking but true, the PM will not create any powerful post for me or anyone else in the Board.”

Published in Dawn, July 23rd , 2014