Shah Khawar has been appointed Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) interim chairman on January 24 after the departure of Zaka Ashraf from the top post. Shah Khawar is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, who is also the Election Commissioner of the PCB. Notably, Zaka Ashraf resigned from PCB's chairman post last week.
"According to the notification dated 23 January 2024 from the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry and by virtue of Article 7(2) of the PCB Constitution, the Election Commissioner is vested with the powers of Chairman PCB," a board release stated.
After suffering heavy losses to Australia and New Zealand, Zaka Ashraf resigned from his position as the head of the PCB Management Committee. Following his departure, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar appointed Mohsin Naqvi as the PCB's leader.
Shah Khawar, however, took over the duties at the PCB headquarters in Lahore this Wednesday. The senior lawyer will officially remain in charge until the next Board elections are held. In the meantime, Mohsin Naqvi will continue his role as a member of the PCB governing body.
Under Clause 2 of Article 7 of the PCB Constitution, the Chief Election Commissioner automatically acquires all the powers of the Chairman in the event of a vacancy. The Commissioner is then constitutionally bound to complete the board election process within four weeks, ensuring the newly elected chairman can take office within a week of the election.
The elections are expected to be held next month, likely in the first week of February. Khawar is set to oversee these elections, while Mohsin Naqvi intends to contest for the chairman position for a three-year term. Mohsin will resign from his position as the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab by the time of the general elections.
Meanwhile, legendary Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad voiced his worries about the unstable condition of Pakistan cricket, particularly pointing out the regular changes in leadership. He stressed that these constant alterations can affect the confidence of the players.
“I have not seen cricket governance anywhere in the world like we see in Pakistan and these state of affairs are really sad,” Miandad told media.
“I don’t think anywhere such frequent appointments and changes in cricket are made and it only means that we don’t have continuity in our cricket structure and more importantly the players don’t gain confidence,” he added.
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