At the last meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Sports, former PCB Treasurer Mohammad Naeem submitted a four-page charge-sheet, making startling disclosures of alleged financial misdoing, illegal appointments, absence of transparency and probity.
The committee, headed by Senator Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, and comprising Senators Mohammad Enver Baig of Pakistan Peoples Party Patriot, Kamil Ali Agha, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Waseem Shahzad and Prof. M. Saeed Siddiqui, has tightened its noose around the PCB Chairman.
In the earlier two sittings, PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan, along with former Chief Executive Ramiz Raja, chief selector Wasim Bari and other PCB officials appeared before the committee.
Not satisfied with the replies to the queries by the committee members, the PCB officials were again summoned to the third sitting of the committee, which had received a four-page charge-sheet by the former PCB Treasurer against the PCB Chairman and his working.
Naeem pinpointed the alleged flaws in the PCB management, claiming that since his taking over as the PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan had never followed the set rules.
He further claimed that despite his repeated requests for appointment of various committees with necessary powers to ensure transparency and financial probity, the PCB Chairman did not pay heed to his suggestions.
Naeem alleged that the PCB Chairman sacked the professional marketing man to induct one Riaz Mahmood, stated to be his close friend.
Referring to the existence of a resource committee, which is responsible to process all appointments, promotions, increments and terminations, Naeem alleged that during the last eight months not a single meeting of the committee was held and all relevant matters had been decided without referring to the committee.
IRRELEVANT ISSUES: In a newspaper interview, Naeem criticised Shaharyar Khan for confusing public opinion by discussing irrelevant issues.
About the PCB's claims regarding deals and contracts for Pakistan-India series, Naeem claimed: "No bids were invited and the PCB's claim that shortage of time prevented the PCB to invite bids for contracts. It is a lame excuse," he said.
Naeem, however, demanded of the PCB Chief Patron, President Pervez Musharraf, to intervene and order an independent high-level inquiry into the financial affairs and conduct of the PCB.
ENVER BAIG: After a threadbare discussion on his charge sheet, Enver Baig demanded of the government to put Ramiz Raja's name on the exit control list (ECL), and said he should not be allowed to leave the country.
Reacting to the pulling up by Enver Baig, Shaharyar Khan has threatened to file a defamation case against him. Enver Baig also moved the Senate secretariat, seeking a privilege motion in the next Senate session against the PCB Chairman.
Enver Baig, having contacts in and outside the PCB and some top former Test cricketers, came to the committee meeting well prepared and put pinching questions which annoyed the PCB Chairman.
Baig said since he had confronted with the PCB officials with facts and evidences in the committee meetings, which were public hearings and reported in the press, he was allegedly being threatened by the PCB Chairman with a purpose -- to dissuade from performing his parliamentary duties.
Baig termed the PCB Chairman's action as infringement of his privileges as Senate member.
PANDORA'S BOX: However, the fact is that Naeem's charge-sheet against the PCB Chairman has opened Pandora's box and brings to light the performance of the cricket's controlling body, being run by an ad hoc committee, for the last five years, especially during the last eight months.
The ad hoc set-up in any organisation, especially in sports, is never appreciated and the very concept of ad hocism of bringing some positive changes and improvement in the working of any organisation in the shortest possible time is negated in the case of the PCB.
TOO MUCH STATEMENTS: Those who speak too much are always on the defensive and try to take refuge in falsehood. Such habits create an environment hostile to any organisation and ultimately results in its total collapse. Once this habit takes roots, then controversies are bound to born.
The PCB is one such organisation where the top brass is plagued with this infectious disease. They talk too much and do nothing positive.
For the last about eight months, the sports pages of the national media are flooded almost daily with conflicting statements issued by the PCB higher-ups. Press conferences are the order of the day.
Not only the sports scribes, but also those interested in knowing about the PCB and its handling of the game of cricket and its management is puzzled over the situation and does not believe in repeated contradictory statements.
There are numerous examples when each press briefing and statement contracted the previous one. This attitude of the PCB bosses leads to speculations.
Being the latest contradiction of his own statement, which came to light on Saturday last when the PCB Chairman told newsmen that English coach Bob Woolmer, under the terms and conditions of the agreement, would be getting more than the sacked coach Javed Miandad.
Earlier, Shaharyar Khan said Woolmer would be getting less remuneration than Miandad, who was, according to slab system (match-to-match), was also entitled to win bonuses. He also admitted that the rate of Woolmer's bonuses would be higher than that of Miandad's.
Moreover, if the laptop English coach made the Pakistan team one of the three top teams of the world, he would be richer with a fabulous amount as additional bonus.
Not only this, if Pakistan won the 2007 World Cup or finished runner-up, he would be further rewarded with extra money, he added.
Pakistan had won the 1992 World Cup and till the 2003 World Cup, the Pakistan cricket team was among the three best teams of world, but the then PCB administration or its chief never announced such lucrative rewards to coach Intikhab Alam, who trained the World Cup winning team.
The way Woolmer is being pampered by the PCB Chairman is unprecedented.
In his earlier statement, the PCB Chairman, expressing his dismay over the resignation of Ramiz Raja, paid rich tributes to him and described him as a competent and thorough professional administrator.
To fill the vacuum, Shaharyar said the Board would invite applications through newspaper advertisements and select a suitable person for the top PCB post.
But those watching the PCB affairs closely recalled that the Board Chairman, soon after the resignation of Samiul Hassan as General Manager, Media, Public Relations and Protocol, had announced that the post would be advertised.
The advertisement did appear in the newspapers and applications must have been received by the Board, but thanks to soft corner for the bureaucracy, the PCB Chairman preferred to nominate a Grade 19 official of the Federal Information Ministry.
As regards successor of Ramiz Raja, there is long list of probables, including former Chief Executives Arif Ali Khan Abbasi and Majid Khan, former Test cricketer Co1 Naushad Ali (retd), but the PCB sources, referring to the mindset of the PCB Chairman, hinted at selection of a bureaucrat.
Besides former diplomat Abbas Zaidi, who is at present looking after the PCB's media and administration department, another senior bureaucrat Abu Shamim Ariff is also a strong contender for the post.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's former captain Zaheer Abbas has also demanded an inquiry into the reasons for abrupt exit of Ramiz Raja as PCB Chief Executive.
Describing Senate as the last hope for bring order in the PCB, Zaheer, in his weekly column in an English daily, thanked the Senate body for exposing the "professionals", "competent" and "honorary" people in the Cricket Board.
About successor of Ramiz Raja, Zaheer opined that the PCB Chairman would opt for a former bureaucrat.
He based his assumption on the earlier appointments made in the PCB, and said any such selection would be disaster for the game and the PCB.
Since no one in the PCB is pious than the pope, the need, therefore, is instituting a high-level inquiry into the PCB affairs, which are in a shambles.