Saleem Altaf reinstated temporarily

Saleem Altaf, the PCB official who was sacked two weeks ago, has been reinstated to his position on the basis of an order from the Lahore High Court. The ruling, however, is a temporary one pending a final resolution to the writ Altaf's lawyers have filed.

"Saleem Altaf's petition was heard today and in an interim order he has been reinstated. He has now reverted back to his position as of June 12, 2008," Altaf's lawyer Aftab Gul told Cricinfo. Gul, a former Test cricketer himself, said that Altaf was now free to go back to his offices from tomorrow. "It is up to Altaf whether he chooses to go back from then."

Altaf, director special projects at the time, was reportedly sacked for allegedly leaking sensitive information to the press, a charge he has strenuously denied. The board had allegedly recorded a number of conversations he had with journalists during his time as director special projects, which were played back to him before his services were terminated.

Altaf filed a writ petition in the High Court for malafide dismissal. The matter was heard in court today and in the afternoon, the judge decided to suspend the order of termination until the petition has been heard out.

The Pakistan board publicly refused to talk about the matter though in last Saturday's governing board meeting, where members decided to back the decision to relieve Altaf of his duties. The date for the next hearing has not been decided yet.