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Published 25 May, 2004 12:00am

PCB chief accepts action body's demands

ISLAMABAD, May 24: Shaharyar M. Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Monday agreed to the key demands of the action committee of regional associations headed by Aamir Hayat Rokri.

In a meeting with their representatives at the Islamabad Club, Shaharyar promised to end ad-hocism in the Board while agreeing to finalise the new constitution in consultation with them.

He also assured the house that the general body of the PCB will be revived as per the constitution and that a share of gate money for the Tests held in the 2003-04 will be given to the associations.

"We have had a cordial meeting and we have agreed to mutually move forward for the good of cricket," said Shaharyar, who critics say is slow in decision-making. Rokri, president of the Lahore City Cricket Association, felt that as much as 75 per cent of their demands had been met.

"The chairman will convene a meeting within a month to review progress in this regard." The committee also made it clear that they did not want men like Zakir Khan and Ramiz Raja in the PCB. "He has promised to bring about changes in the set-up within weeks," Rokri said.

Shaharyar, on the request of the committee members, also agreed to delay the appointment for six months of Regional Development Officers. The PCB had only recently advertised the posts.

Rokri made it clear that any attempts from within the Board to weaken the action committee would prove futile. "We have full support of associations in Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan and Sindh and will continue our struggle as long as it takes."

Another strongman of the action committee, Sirajul Islam Bukhari of the Karachi City Cricket Association minced no words in saying that they all stood united. "We will draw our future line of action in the light of moves that Shaharyar makes."

Bukhari said that his team had clearly told Shaharyar to honour the promises that he makes, otherwise they may also appeal to the president. He also disclosed that the chairman had conceded that PCB's constitution was still intact and that associations were the pillars of Pakistan cricket.

Shaharyar, officials said had also agreed to hold elections of most of the associations including Rawalpindi. Others who attended the meeting that went on for two and a half hours were Dr Tariq Inayat and Syed Ehtesham Shah (Mardan), Ashraf Qureshi (Rawalpindi), Shakil Shaikh (Islamabad), Shamsur Rehman (D.I. Khan), Amir Nawab (Swabi), Gul Mohammad Kakar (Quetta) and Baboo Hasan (Chagi).

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