Shahryar Khan Set to be Pakistan Cricket Board's First Elected Chairman
Last year in May, Zaka Ashraf had declared himself as the first elected Chairman of the PCB but the Islamabad High Court later declared his election as null and void as did the Supreme Court.
Former Pakistan foreign secretary, Shahryar Khan is set to take over as the first elected Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board next week after no other candidate filed nomination papers for the elections, to be held on Monday in Lahore. (India will play Pakistan again from 2015: N Srinivasan)
Last year in May, Zaka Ashraf had declared himself as the first elected Chairman of the PCB but the Islamabad High Court later declared his election as null and void as did the Supreme Court. (Also read: 2023 World Cup to be played in India alone)
"Today was the last date for filing nomination papers for the elections of the board but except for Shahryar Khan no one filed any papers, which means he is set to be elected unopposed for the top post," an official in the PCB told PTI.
He said with no other candidate, the 10-member Board of Governors in the PCB is set to elect Shahryar, who had earlier also served PCB as its chairman from 2003 to 2006, as the new chief. (Indo-Pak series could help PCB earn 450 million USD)
"The chief election commissioner of the board will announce the results on Monday," he said. A career diplomat, Shahryar was at the helm of the board when the Indian team toured Pakistan for a full Test series in 2004 after 14 long years.
Shahryar, 80, who has also served as high commissioner in New Delhi and also went as manager of the Pakistan team to India in 1999 and the 2003 World Cup, is on the Board of Governors as a nominee of the government. (Revive Indo-Pak cricket, says Wasim Akram)
"Basically the indications are clear that the government wanted Shahryar to contest the elections because there is lot of emphasis on improving relations with India and they also want the two countries to resume bilateral series as soon as possible," the official said.
"With his experience of dealing with the Indian government and cricket officials and his success at normalising Indo-Pak cricket relations, Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif clearly has faith in Shahryar that he will be able to convince the Indians to resume bilateral ties late this year or next year for sure," he said.
The PCB has already signed a MoU with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023 with the first series to be hosted by Pakistan in late 2015. "But the PM is keen the series is played earlier than late 2015 and that apparently is a big reason for bringing back Shahryar as Chairman of the board," the PCB official stated.