KARACHI, Oct 6: The General Body Meeting (GBM) of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), at its annual meeting here the other day, has expressed it strong apprehension and reservations over the proposed constitution of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), according to a press release on Thursday.

The constitution has been sent directly to Patron-in-Chief of PCB, President Pervez Musharraf.

The KCCA general body has made a fervent appeal to the President not to give his consent unless vetted by the affiliated cricket associations of PCB, who are the real stake holders.

The KCCA general body while according the highest esteem to the legal stalwarts in the PCB Constitution Commission headed by Justice (retired) Karamat Nazir Bhandari, felt that they may not be fully conversant with the requirements of the supreme cricket body and the affiliated cricket associations of the country.

The general body feels that according to the press reports being published in the national press about the new draft constitutions of PCB, some of the clauses are contradictory to the democratic vision.

According to certain clauses of the proposed constitution, all the powers to run cricket affairs of PCB have been vested in the nominated chairman of PCB with the future general body and executive Council of the Board consisting of affiliated associations of the country playing a symbolic advisory role.

The general body has, however, welcomed one of the clauses in which the tenure of the future ad hoc committee if ever imposed, has been confined to only six months. This was the only flaw in the old constitution, due to which the affairs of the board were being run by subsequent ad hoc committees for over six years since July 17, 1999.

Since then the role of affiliated associations has been reduced to zero as the cricket affairs of the country are being handled by highly paid individuals.

The affiliated associations are finding it hard to promote cricket on grass root, which is an alarming situation for Pakistan cricket.

The general body has particularly regretted the reduction of representation of Karachi from four to just one, comparing it with any remote district of the country.

Meanwhile, the KCCA general body also approved the annual report on the activities of the Association for the period 2004-05 and passed the audited annual accounts.—APP