Zaka Ashraf's reinstatement as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman irks federal government

The federal government on Thursday filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the reinstatement of Zaka Ashraf as Board chairman, a development which further prolonged the uncertainty in Pakistan cricket.

Well known lawyer Asma Jahangir filed the appeal on behalf of the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination which had earlier issued, on the orders of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a notification forming an interim management committee to run cricket affairs in the country.

A two member divisional bench had, however, restored Ashraf as chairman and dissolved the IMC this month.

Interestingly, the office of the Supreme Court had earlier returned the appeal application on legal grounds but later the appeal was filed afresh and accepted.

Sources in the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination said that the legal advisors had made their preparations for the filing of the appeal in the highest court after approval of the law ministry and the Prime Minister's secretariat.

The main basis of the appeal against the reinstatement of Ashraf by the two-member divisional bench of the Islamabad High Court is that he has lost the confidence of the governing board of the PCB.

Ashraf, soon after assuming office, supervised a meeting of the governing board last Saturday in Lahore after which a PCB press release said that the members had reposed confidence in the chairman.

But a clear indication of the fact that Ashraf did not enjoy the confidence of the ruling party has come after the delay in giving him time to meet the Prime Minister by the PM's secretariat.

Sharif had through the ministry of inter provincial coordination had extended the IMC's tenure for 90 days on January 10 before the ruling which restored Ashraf as PCB chairman.