ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday, while rejecting the rumours being speared by a certain segment on delaying the restructuring of cricket grounds in the country to host the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champion Trophy, has said that Pakistan is all set to host such an event after 28 years.
This was stated by Sumair Ahmad Syed, chief operating officer (COO), at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat held here under the chairmanship of Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan to have a detailed briefing on the performance and engagements of the PCB.
Pakistan is ready for the ICC Champions Trophy and there will also be a three-nation series before that.
The renovation of Gaddafi Stadium will be completed by January 27, 2025, and the PCB has equipped the stadium with modern facilities for the ICC Champions Trophy.
He said the PCB Board comprises 13 members and is mandated to develop and nurture cricket across the country. With the successful completion of the Pakistan and England series, Pakistan is currently hosting West Indies and PCB is also engaging private partners in order to foster local talent at school level.
Senator Hassan inquired about the alleged rumours of an ICC fine on PCB for delaying the restructuring of grounds. The PCB COO denied the rumours and called them propaganda against Pakistan. The COO informed the panel that Pakistan, after 28 years, will be hosting an international championship of such scale. For the ICC Champions trophy all the foreign cricket teams apart from India will be visiting Pakistan, and the matches of the event will be played in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi.
The committee strongly recommended that the Quetta Cricket Stadium would be upgraded on international standards and skilled/technical members be added to the board of governors of PCB.
The committee discussed the illegal smuggling of LPG and the action taken by the authorities to protect precious lives. The smuggling which originates from Iran and Balochistan to Sukkur, Pano Aqil and other parts of the Sindh was addressed. The OGRA chairman stated that the demand of LPG is increasing on a daily basis. As of now, the daily demand of LPG stands at 5,000 tons. The rising demand and cost of LPG have encouraged locals to mix LPG with CO2 as CO2 is cost effective but poses a huge health and safety hazard. However, on the complaint of Senator Jam Saifullah Khan, the OGRA has taken action against the racket operating in Sukkur, and with the help of local administration, OGRA has also set up an office in Sukkur. Moreover, the OGRA informed the committee that it has proposed an increase in penalty for the offence to 10 years imprisonment with one crore fine from 6 months imprisonment. The proposed increase will enable OGRA in curbing this menace.
Furthermore, the committee was briefed on the performance of the Federal Public Service Commission. The FPSC Secretary informed that the structure of the FPSC comprises a chairman and 11 members of the board and secretariat. The FPSC is mandated to conduct general recruitment in BS-16 and above upon the request of ministries and divisions, besides the conduction of CSS examination.
Members raised the issue of interview marks for the CSS exams and recommended that it should be revisited as it is subjective in nature. The committee reiterated that the panel conducting interview should be randomly selected instead of following the current practice of having the chairman and three senior members of the board.
Chairman Committee Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan maintained that some mechanism should be devised to ensure adequate representation of people from South Punjab and directed the secretary FPSC along-with concerned officers to share data of successful candidates who appeared for CSS for the last 10 years belonging to South Punjab.
Moreover, the committee deliberated on the bill titled, “The Abandoned Properties (Management) (Amendment) Bill, 2024”.
Senator Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan, the mover, informed the committee that following the passage of Public Financial Management Act, 2019, all such organisations are required to deposit surplus funds in the Federal Consolidated Fund; however, an amendment was made through the Finance Bill, 2024, which is in violation of the Public Financial Management Act, 2019. She also raised the issue that the Abandoned Properties Organization is being run by deputationists who draw salary from their parent departments so like other government organisations, why is this organisation not getting its budget from the Finance Division. The mover also inquired if the APO does not intend to reinvest surplus then why was this amendment through the Finance Act 2024 made. The committee decided to invite Finance Ministry in the next meeting for their input to have an in-depth discussion on the matter.
Senator Shahadat Awan withdrew the “The Service Tribunals (Amendment) Bill, 2024”, stating that this bill was a consequential bill and earlier he had withdrawn the main bill as well.
Additionally, the committee was briefed on the damages and displacement caused by floods in Sindh and Balochistan on the calling attention notice of Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri. The committee recommended that the NDMA should provide details of last two years budgetary allocations especially for flood-affected areas.
In attendance were senators, Saadia Abbasi, Amir Waliuddin Chisti, Mohammad Abdul Qadir, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, AnushaRahman Khan, Shahadat Awan, Jam Saifullah Khan, Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Special Secretary Establishment Division Sarah Saeed, secretary FPSC, IG Sindh Police, chairman OGRA, COO PCB and other senior officials from relevant departments.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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