He shall be judged on his performance
For a self-proclaimed disinterested bystander, Najam Sethi is a lucky fellow. He has landed the plum position of the PCB chairman for the second time in seven months. For his second coming, the newly-minted patron of the PCB the prime minister (previously it used to be governor general/president since the Board’s inception, with Nawaz Sharif being the first PM to have assumed the position, divesting Mamnoon Hussain off it) had to overrule a court ruling that had reinstated Ch Zaka Ashraf as the chairman after a seven month hiatus when Sethi reigned, albeit with wings clipped by the Islamabad High Court. Imran Khan meanwhile has alleged that Sethi has been rewarded by the PML-N supremo for ‘services rendered’ (read: fixing elections as caretaker chief minister Punjab), allegations that Sethi has denied as vehemently as these were leveled. The jury shall remain out on this for a while, despite the tilt of the perception.
Be that as it may, this game of musical chairs, in which the prime minister’s patronage has played no small part, has done no credit to Pakistan cricket. Already in the throes of a multiple crises – international isolation owing to security situation in the country and a radically changed global scenario where India’s predominance of the game along with England and Australia has marginalized Pakistan more than all other nations for it did not comply to the New World Order with similar alacrity as the other opponents of the scheme, South Africa and Sri Lanka – the rapid changes at the helm that clearly point toward a house in extreme disorder have left Pakistan cricket open to much disdain.
Given the critical situation, the need of the hour was an Abdul Hafeez Kardar, with an instinctive knowledge of the game and the nuances of global diplomacy, or Air Marshal Nur Khan, the great management guru who distinguished himself across the realm of three sports – hockey, cricket and squash. Desiring a job is one thing, deserving it is quite another. Now that he has gotten his wish twice over (such appointments do not just happen, they are sought and pursued), the task for Najam Sethi is cut out for him. So is the onus of proving himself worthy of the office. Pakistan cricket has not seen a tougher challenge in living memory. But Pakistan cricket is a strong entity, with Pakistani cricketers’ flair and entertainment value not easy to smother if the PCB manages to put its house in order and leverages its strengths to make the most out of a bad situation. This is where Sethi’s litmus test lies. And he shall be judged on his performance.
Najam Sethi's nomination was controversial, damaging to Pakistani cricket already in trouble internationally and entirely illegal. If democracy and rule of law is to succeed and prevail in Pakistan any unlawful improper and under the table hand out must be condemned denounced and clearly disapproved. People of international merit such as Ehsan Mani, Arif Abbasi and few others are available to lead PCB and to say let us hope Najam Sethi will deliver is avoiding the real issue. What will actually happen when Najam Sethi appears before the ICC he is more likely to receive an amusing look and a broad grin. Pakistan has gone on suffering from wrong and illegitimate decisions by parliaments and judges in the past which must come to an end. It is no good saying bad decisions will produce good results.
A five-year-old child girl accompanying her was also critically injured. The assailants opened fire on Nassema Chandio when she came out after meeting her son-in-law, Khalid Joyo, who went to the court for pursuing his case.
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