ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Shafqat Naghmi on Wednesday denied taking away any files from the board’s offices and said most of the officials from the previous set-up were being victimised by the newly-appointed ones.

Talking to Dawn, Naghmi said that the allegations levelled against him by the new board chairman Ijaz Butt in a press conference this week were false and totally baseless. “They are not PCB files but my personal hard copies of the presentations given during the many board meetings. As it is, I have every right to take some files with me if I desire to work late in the night at home.”

The files, he said, were always maintained by the junior officials and “I have nothing to do with them.”

Explaining his stance on the recent negotiations with the West Indies cricket board, Naghmi said: “If you ask me about the WICB negotiations, it’s not something in the air but I have received e-mails even a day earlier as they asked me about the progress on the tour and this is all documented,” he said.

Regarding the sacking of Director Human Resource Nadeem Akram, the PCB COO said: “Nadeem was sacked without taking anyone into confidence. According to the constitutional requirements, three board members should have been consulted prior to such a decision but they were not. Nadeem was simply punished for coordinating with me on official matters.”

Naghmi also dismissed allegations of drawing a hefty amount from the board in the name of house rent. “I have never got a single penny in the name of house rent and let me make it very clear that the Admin Block was specially built for this purpose to accommodate PCB guests like the national coach who is currently staying there.”

Regarding the recent appointment of sports scribe Asif Sohail as special assistant to the PCB chairman, Naghmi said it was an unfair move by all counts. “The post was never advertised in the newspapers and it’s a violation of PCB constitution to hire a non-professional on such a high salary without fulfilling the pre-requisites.”

Naghmi also alleged that his own personal assistant was locked in his room by the some officials who threatened him of dire consequences if ‘some’ files were not handed to them. “My assistant was extremely disturbed after the incident and later resigned from his job.”