The National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Co-ordination has expressed serious concern over the incidents of spot-fixing and directed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to conduct an impartial inquiry and punish the players and other people, including the PCB administration, involved in this crime.
The committee met with MNA Abdul Qahar Khan Wadan in the chair at Parliament House on Thursday. The committee discussed the issues relating to Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan Hockey Federation. The committee was also told that there is no law about the criminal offence of spot-fixing in the country and there is a dire need to make legislation in this regard.
The committee discussed the spot-fixing matters and directed that an impartial inquiry should be conducted and persons, including the PCB administration, behind the players for this heinous crime should be traced and punished.
The committee members raised several questions during the session, most of which pertained to the spot-fixing scandal. MNA Shafqat Hayat asked why the PCB manager was not probed when the scandal came to light and why no action was taken against the administration of the hotel where the players allegedly met bookies. "Why is the team ranked at number 8 despite good coaches? Why are those convicted of spot-fixing being given chances to play again and again, and who is giving them these chances?" he questioned.
The MNA further complained that fast bowlers and top and middle order batsmen have not performing well, and that the entire team relies on spinners to win. While responding to the questions of the members, PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told the committee that anti-corruption tribunal has awarded punishment to Muhammad Irfan while the inquiry is being conducted against four other players including Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Shahzaib Hassan and Nasir Jamshed. He said, "We could not contact with Nasir Jamshed as he is living in London."
He said, "We briefed the players about bookies and asked them to inform the PCB immediately if any bookie approaches them." He said that bookies have changed the approaching method with the passage of time and in the current matter bookies approach the relatives of the players to contact him.
The PCB chairman said Nasir Jamshed was responsible for inciting some players to go for spot-fixing during the PSL. He said that Jamshed has been charged by the National Crime Agency in the UK for his role in the spot-fixing scandal. The PCB chairman said that there is no law relating to criminal offence for taking action against the bookies in the country. He suggested the Parliament to make legislation in this regard.
He said it is not necessary that a good player can become a good coach. Coaching or teaching is a separate profession and there are many examples at the international level when a top player failed in coaching of the team.
During the briefing, PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed told the committee that Pakistan has not played cricket with India for the last 11 years and this caused a loss of $ 100 million. He said, "We have initiated a legal process and sent a notice of dispute to Indian cricket authorities for failing to honour the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two cricket boards". He added, "We have sent a notice of dispute to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under the terms of reference of dispute resolution committee of the International Cricket Council.
Terming the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2017 final in Lahore a success, he said that the final, held on March 5 at the Gaddafi Stadium, attracted a larger number of audience. "TV ratings for Pakistan-India matches usually go up to 10, but the PSL final saw ratings of 21," he told the committee.
He said that the PCB had recently approached three countries for cricket matches in Lahore and hopefully they will come this year. The committee showed its satisfaction over the construction of five-star hotels on PCB land in Karachi along with a cricket stadium at one place to accommodate the players and the delegations from different countries, strengthen the safety and security of the players and save the wasting of time in picking the players from different hotels.
The members of the committee expressed their sorrow for not reviving other games including hockey, football, volleyball, etc, and urged the ministry to take measures to boost up these games in country. Secretary General Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Shahbaz Ahmad (Senior) told the committee that hokey is a national game but it has been ignored. He said that PHF has neither its own building nor any gym and hostel for the players.
The committee recommended the government to set up the office of Pakistan Hockey Federation in Islamabad. After the committee meeting, talking to media persons, PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan paid rich tributes to retiring Captain Misbah-ul-Haq and called him a better captain than Imran Khan. Shahryar was quick to point out that he was not making a political comparison between the two. "Misbah is not a bigger political personality than Imran," the PCB chief was quoted as saying.
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