Najam Sethi, currently serving as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Committee, on Monday night announced he is withdrawing his name from consideration for the board’s chairmanship, as the body cannot afford uncertainty arising from differences between ruling coalition partners.
“I don’t want to be a bone of contention between [PPP Co-chairman] Asif Zardari and [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif,” he wrote on Twitter. “Such instability and uncertainty is not good for PCB. Under the circumstances, I am not a candidate for chairmanship of PCB,” he said, adding he wished good luck to all stakeholders.
Last week, Sethi similarly said he had no desire to get involved in any controversy and would accept any decision of the patron—the prime minister. Speaking with media in Lahore, he said his sole mandate had been to restore the 2014 constitution of the PCB and having accomplished that, the body was ready for elections for the role of the chairman. “If the patron and Zardari sahab want me to continue, I will be okay with it. If they want Zaka sahab to become the chairman, I would welcome their decision and leave,” he added.
As the country proceeds toward general elections, due after the National Assembly completes its constitutional term in August, there have been growing rifts within the ruling coalition, especially between majority partners PMLN and PPP. Among the issues between the two has been the appointment of the PCB chairman, with the PPP seeking the return of former PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf and the PMLN wanting to continue with Sethi. The PPP, in various media interactions, has said that as one of its lawmakers heads the Inter-Provincial Coordination Division, it has the right to appoint the chairman of the PCB. The PMLN, however, has noted that as patron, it is the prime minister’s right to decide who becomes the next PCB chairman.