Supreme Court upholds Altaf's reinstatement

Saleem Altaf, the PCB official who was sacked by the board only to be reinstated, will continue as director-special projects after Pakistan's Supreme Court upheld the Lahore High Court's order granting him temporary relief pending the resolution on the writ filed by his lawyers. The PCB had moved the Supreme Court against the lower court's decision.

During Tuesday's hearing, Altaf's legal counsel, Naeem Bokhari, contended that he was unjustly dismissed since having been appointed by Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf, who is also the patron of the board, he could only be removed the him. Bokhari also said that the termination letter given by the PCB to Altaf did not contain Musharraf's approval, and that his contract was valid till the 2011 World Cup.

The PCB, represented by attorney general Malik Qayyum, maintained that since Altaf was appointed for a three-year term (from 2005) on a contractual basis, he could be fired any time.

Altaf, 64, was sacked on June 12 for allegedly leaking sensitive information to the press, a charge he had denied. The board had allegedly recorded a number of conversations he had with journalists during his tenure, which were played back to him before his services were terminated. He was then temporarily reinstated on June 25.