ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), under its incumbent interim Management Committee, hired over 60 high-ranking officials during its first 90 days in office, Dawn learnt on Sunday.

The appointments were made despite the committee’s mandate being limited to running day-to-day affairs of the PCB leading to the board’s pending elections.

However, led by chairman Zaka Ashraf, the PCB roped in eight directors and 25 consultants against handsome packages over the last three months. According to sources, the board is paying approximately Rs150 million to the recruits.

Sources said that the said recruitments were challenged in the Balochistan High Court in contempt proceedings held on October 2.

PCB lawyers sought more time to submit an explanation, and the two-member bench has ordered the PCB to submit complete details of the appointments, length of employments, and remunerations by October 16.

According to insiders, the issue of said appointment also came under discussion during third meeting of the Management Committee held in Lahore on October 1.

Minutes of it’s second meeting held in Karachi on August 27 read: “COO opined that agreeing to such an arrangement would mean making a long-term appointment; however, he was concerned that the functioning of the MC was currently limited to day-to-day operations.

“COO explained that based on a strict view, the MC should not be awarding contracts longer than one year; however, even if a more lenient view was to be taken, the tenure could be a little longer than a year; however, it would remain subject to challenges.”

The board’s media and communications director Aalia Rasheed — one of the Zaka-led committee’s high-profile hirings — refrained from commenting on the issue, saying that the matter was in subjudice and that “it would not be appropriate to comment on it at this stage”.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2023