The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to postpone the elections for its new Chairman following a stay order issued by the Balochistan High Court’s two-member bench. The order, issued by Chief Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Amir Nawaz, puts a hold on the elections until July 17.
The court cited the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha holidays and the court’s two-week summer vacation as reasons for the postponement. The arguments related to the case will be heard when the court resumes on July 17.
Initially scheduled to take place on June 27 at the PCB headquarters in Lahore, the elections for the PCB Chairman have now been halted. All parties involved, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, and the nominated candidate for PCB Chairman, Zaka Ashraf, have been issued notices.
The petition challenging the elections for the PCB Chairman was filed by former member of the PCB management committee, Gul Mohammad Kakar. The petitioners requested the court to halt the elections and suspend the Board of Governors (BoG) until a verdict is reached on their petitions.
The petition also argued that the formation of the BoG was against the nominations of the former management committee, and any meeting between the BoG and the election of the PCB Chairman would be deemed illegal.
The PCB had previously announced the election date for the new Chairman in a press release issued on June 22. However, following the court’s stay order, the elections have been put on hold.
The PCB received a letter and notification from the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ministry stating that the tenure of the PCB’s Management Committee had ended, resulting in its dissolution.
As the court proceedings continue, the PCB Chairman elections remain suspended, awaiting a final decision on the matter.