LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday dismissed a petition challenging the nomination of Najam Sethi as member Board of Governors (BoG) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and his subsequent election as chairman of the board.

Representing the petitioner, Advocate Naheed Baig argued before the court that the election of Mr Sethi had been conducted in violation of the board’s Constitu­tion and rules. She said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, being patron of the PCB, violated rules by nominating Mr Sethi and Arif Ijaz to the BoG much earlier to the dissolution of the previous board.

The counsel further argued that the respondent (Sethi) was elected as new chairman before the expiry of the term of his predecessor, Shaharyar Khan. She asked the court to declare the election of Sethi null and void and immediately restrain him from performing his duties as chairman.

In his counter arguments, PCB legal advisor Taffazul Haider Rizvi objected to the maintainability of the petition calling it a frivolous one. He pointed out that a similar petition had been recently dismissed by Islamabad High Court and argued that the patron, under the Constit­ution, had the power to nominate any person to the BoG.

Moreover, he said the election of the chairman was not conducted by Sethi but the election commissioner reti­red Justice Afzal Haider, duly appointed by the patron.

Advocate Rizvi pointed out that an independent adjudicator comprising another retired justice was also formed to hear, as first legal remedy, objections aga­inst the election. However, he said, the adjudicator received no objection against the election of Mr Sethi.

After hearing both sides, Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh dismissed the petition for being not maintainable.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2017