KARACHI, Nov 14 Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Director Cricket Operations (DCO) Zakir Khan, reacting to reports about his role in the case against Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association (PWCCA), said on Saturday that he was only acting on behalf of the board.

As another hearing in the case, filed by the PWCCA through Barrister Zafarullah Khan in the court of Honorable Mr Justice Umer Atta Bandial against the PCB draws near, several under-handed actions of PCB officials have come to fore.

Several board officials were involved in the women's cricket scrutiny a few years ago to decide which of the already-existing three women's cricket bodies in the country they had to merge with, as directed by the Lahore High Court.

The court's directions were also in accordance with the International Cricket Council requirement that was itself then merging with the international women's cricket body, the IWCC.

The PCB had been asked by the court to act as arbitrators and decide which one of them was the genuine body but it has come out now that they usurped and misused their powers while ignoring the court's orders by taking over an unrecognised and unregistered association called the Pakistan Women's Cricket Association (PWCA) to illegally form a women's wing in 2003.

As can be seen through the old documents and letters acquired by Dawn, DCO Zakir Khan played a key role in the PCB's taking over the reins of women's cricket in Pakistan.

In a letter to IWCC President Christine P. Brierley, dated Jan 29, 2003, he wrote “This is to inform you and reiterate that no women cricket association including PWCCA, the current member of IWCC, will be able to participate in the IWCC Trophy scheduled in July 2003. The PWCCA will not be able to represent Pakistan as we will be preparing a true national team to be known as the Pakistan Women Cricket Team (PCB).

In another letter, also dated Jan 29, 2003, he wrote “ ... concerned authorities including foreign office, ASF immigration, and other departments be informed ... that no women cricket team be allowed to go abroad to represent Pakistan except Pakistan Women Cricket Team (PCB).”

It must be mentioned here that the PWCCA had also been recognized by the full-elected council of the PCB in 1996. And even after the formation of the PCB Women's Wing in 2003, the IWCC went on to recognise the PWCCA as the sole governing body for women's cricket to represent Pakistan nationally and internationally.

Speaking to Dawn on Saturday, the PCB DCO said “I must point out here that 'Zakir Khan' is not the person who carries out the actions. There is a PCB behind it all. Besides,” he added, “I have not been involved with women's cricket for four years now.”

When informed that his actions at that time may be reviewed now considering the ongoing case, he said “I already have an idea of what the court will say. I'm pretty sure they will put it all before the PCB to decide who they want for running the affairs of women's cricket in the country. The board is after all the legal sole entity for handling cricket affairs in Pakistan according to PCB's constitution and the Sports Ministry.”

When asked what he thought about the PCB's Women's Wing and its doing hardly anything for women's cricket in the country at the moment, he said “Even men's cricket here has been having its own hiccups, what of women's cricket? But I'm hopeful with the approval of the budget and a change in the infrastructure; things are bound to improve eventually.”