ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: With a meeting of the senate standing committee on sports pencilled in for this Saturday to discuss cricketing matters, a senator called for an intervention by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) into the affairs of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

"Today's revelations by former treasurer Mr. Muhammad Naeem are further proof that corruption is rampant in the PCB," senator Muhammad Enver Baig said. "I have been saying from day one that there are gross financial irregularities in the PCB and as I have said earlier, NAB should intervene and take stock of the situation."

Naeem, who quit in May, alleged on Monday that the PCB had misled the public on the free-ticket controversy for the Pakistan-India series and that tickets worth millions of rupees had not been accounted for.

Enver reiterated that the former chief executive of PCB, Ramiz Raja's name be put on the Exit Control List pending clearance from NAB. "Until the audit of accounts for the recent Pakistan-India series is not conducted and submitted with the committee, he should not be allowed to proceed abroad."

Ramiz had resigned earlier this year amidst mounting pressure from his critics who claimed that he was ruining cricket. Chairman of the senate standing committee, Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry told Dawn that in the upcoming meeting Naeem would also be invited besides the PCB chairman Shahryar M. Khan and senior official Abbas Zaidi.

The senate committee has met three times to talk cricket and Saturday's meeting is going to be conclusive following which a report would be submitted to the government on the findings.

Initially the senators had started off to investigate the reasons for Pakistan's defeat to India in March-April but later expanded their probe to other areas.

Zafar however said he was unaware that senators Kamil Ali Agha and Enver had moved a privilege motion against Shaharyar for alleging that the committee was not probing the affairs of hockey and squash because their respective heads were in uniform.

"I have no knowledge of the privilege motion but let me make it clear that the hockey and squash federations are keen that we invite them over." The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is headed by Lt. Gen Muhammad Aziz, who retired only recently while Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Sadaat heads the squash body.

A meeting to discuss squash is likely to be held in Karachi by the end of this month while hockey's turn will come early next year, Zafar said. Zafar felt that it was time the PCB had its audit completed as an internal audit was just not enough.

Besides, the board's new constitution has still not been finalised. "I think the delay is because the members of the constitution committee are all very busy people."

However Enver pointed out that Shaharyar had first committed in meetings of the standing committee that the constitution would be ready by the end of August. "He then gave a new October date and here we are in mid December and there is no sign of the constitution."

Enver alleged that the PCB boss had been making false promises and said that he had not even submitted copies of national coach Bob Woolmer's contract and those of his gang. "I smell foul play."