Pak PM Yousaf Raza Gilani to demand PCB chief Ijaz Butt's removal during meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari
According to media reports, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani has stated that during his meeting with the President of the country and Patron-in-Chief of PCB, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari, he will voice his concern over the deteriorating condition
of Pakistan cricket. The President and Prime Minister have been under immense scrutiny following the increasing demands of the removal of chairman PCB Mr. Ijaz Butt. Interestingly enough, the appointment of chairman PCB is made at the discretion of President
of the country; therefore it is more a political appointment. This does not happen in any other country.
The government is under pressure to remove Mr. Ijaz Butt following the stand-off between PCB and ICC. Ijaz Butt not only mishandled the entire spot fixing controversy but he also worsened his relations with the ICC after he demanded the removal of Haroon
Lorgat, the chief executive of cricket's world governing body. He also developed strained relations with chairman ECB Giles http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 following his rather erratic statement where he alleged that the England players had accepted bribes to throw away the Oval ODI.
That effectively resulted in ECB considering taking legal action against the chairman and ended with Mr. Butt and PCB issuing a strongly worded apology dictated by the ECB.
"I will convey to President Zardari regarding the demand of dismissal of PCB chairman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128," Prime Minister Gilani was quoted as saying.
Previously sources had confided that Ijaz Butt was asked to revamp the entire structure of the PCB, including the appointment of a new team along with a new set of board officials. The said orders came from the higher echelons of power including President
Zardari himself. If he successfully managed to do that, he was told that they might consider giving him an extension for two years.
However, if the government decides to go ahead with the decision of the extension of Ijaz Butt’s contract, it would definitely attract huge outcries of criticism. Many are completely exasperated with his dictatorial approach of ruling the PCB carte blanche
with many former cricketers resigning from PCB soon after their appointments.
It is also learnt that former captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricket back on track. Ever since the appointment
of Ijaz Butt as the PCB chief, cricket in Pakistan has plunged into greater depths of ignominy. International cricket has gone extinct in the country while the domestic cricket structure has not been pumped with some much needed funds.
PCB is now more reliant on state expenditures than ever. This has not happened often in the past for the PCB was more than able to generate enough revenues to develop cricket infrastructure throughout the country. Prime Minister Gilani also announced that
sports' budget will be doubled from next year as he distributed prizes amongst the Commonwealth Games medallists.
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