LAHORE, Dec 1: Lt Gen (retd) Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB ad hoc committee for the past four years resigned on Monday citing domestic engagements as the main reason.

Addressing a press conference Tauqir said that his resignation would be effective from Dec 14, the day when he also completes his four years in office.

“I had sent my resignation to the President of Pakistan on Nov 23 and he told me on Sunday that I may go”, Tauqir said but emphasized that the controversy over TV channels’ issue did not play any part in his decision to quit.

Asked if there was any chance of withdrawing his resignation for the second time he said that the decision was not an emotional one and he had made it after due consideration and in consultation with his family members and friends.

Asked if his last resignation tendered in October, 2002, was an emotional one as it was taken back, Tauqir responded that he took that decision after Pakistan fared poorly against Australia at neutral venues.

Tauqir, who enjoyed his four-year tenure, the second longest after Zahid Ali Akbar, as an all powerful and no questions asked supremo, admitted that the best time for him to quit was after the World Cup in which Pakistan performed dismally. But he took the situation as a challenge and tried to build up a new team after the mega event.

“The team now is looking in good shape and I believe I may be given some good place in history of Pakistan cricket which was not possible after the World Cup”, Tauqir, who requested media not to ask answers was looking somewhat dejected.

Tauqir claimed that he had completed 70 per cent work under his Vision-2005 programme but regretted he could not launch Pakistan Cricket Foundation, a charity institution for the welfare of cricketers .

His reign, described by his detractors as the darkest chapter in Pakistan’s chequered cricket history due to unending controversies, abuse of power, nepotism and unnecessary favours to hand-picked advisors.

Tauqir was all praise for chief selector Aamir Sohail and called him the best head of the selection committee he had during his tenure.

“Yes, I like him as he is a straightforward person and made good decisions to rebuild the team,” Tauqir declared while adding Rashid Latif had also played a positive role in the rebuilding process.

Tauqir advised former Pakistan skipper Zaheer Abbas to raise his level of criticism specially as far as his son Junaid Zia was concerned.

The chairman said that his son Junaid faced unnecessary criticism due to his post and that was also one of the reasons forcing him to tender his resignation.

He said that had PCB not supported paceman Shoaib Akhtar and Rashid Latif on certain occasions, their careers would have ended four years ago.

The PCB chief said that he had made some bold decisions and that was only possible due to the support of the President of Pakistan.

Tauqir said that national press criticised him, at times positively and sometimes negatively, but he appealed and stressed that healthy criticism was better for the team as well as PCB.

“I did commit a lot of mistakes and some of them were unnecessarily highlighted and played up. I thank the press for their support and there was a lot of criticism which I took in the right stead. One cannot guide the media men and they should not.

“Good luck to Dawn, perhaps they would get one more victim in my place, I hope they don’t get. They did a lot of favour, good luck to all those who want to criticise.

“I apologize if someone is hurt by me, not deliberately, pen is the mightier than the sword. Whatever you want to write but support Pakistan cricket and players but there should be no vested interest and grouping,” he said.

He defended his officials over the controversy of TV channels over the telecasting rights for the ongoing series against New Zealand.

“PCB is not aware of the technicalities of telecasting and it was upto PTV and the Dubai-based channel to settle down their affairs,” he said.

To a question he said that he recommended the name of his chief executive Ramiz Hasan Raja, to succeed him as new chairman. However, it was upto the president to accept or reject the proposal.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan team management appealed to the president to reconsider the resignation of Tauqir in the larger interest of the game.

Coach Javed Miandad, manager Haroon Rashid and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said that the resignation could badly affect the rebuilding process of the team.

AFP adds: Former cricketing great Imran Khan, now a polititician, said the president should not be in charge of appointing the PCB chief.

“Pakistan cricket should be run under a constitution and the chief of the cricket board should not be appointed by the president,” Imran said.