Pakistan: National Assembly discusses probes (5 Sep 1998)

5 September 1998

National Assembly discusses betting, match-fixing

By Farhana Ayaz

ISLAMABAD,Sept 4: Government's poor response on to the action taken against cricketers involved in "criminal" activities created an uproar in the National Assembly where the match-fixing and betting scandal was taken up for the first time on the floor of the house.

Syed Naveed Qamar, former privatisation commission chairman during last PPP government, inquired from the ministry of sports,culture, tourism and youth affairs to state the number of cricketersof senior and junior teams who have been accused of crimes during foreign tours since 1992 and the action, if any, taken against each one of them?.

The Parliamentary Secretary maintained that Pakistan Cricket Board has reported only one player named Zeeshan Pervez, a member of Pakistan Under-19 Cricket team who was implicated in a sexual assault case during the West Indies tour of 1996.

He added that the West Indies Court acquitted him. However, the disciplinary committee of PCB banned him from playing any grade of cricket for two years.

The response that only one cricketer has been penalised created an uproar in the house with various MNA's collectively lashing out at the concerned authorities. The speaker gave the floor to MNA Dr Nishat Mallick, who is also the chairman of NA sub-committee on cricket and hockey affairs besides being the member of National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, Culture, Tourism and Youth Affairs headed by Salauddin Saeed.

Dr Nishat Mallick stated that the concerned department was misleading the house since Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Mushtaq were involved in criminal acts of possessing drugs during the last Caribbean tour.

Taking up the match-fixing and betting issue, the MNA said that laws and constitution of Pakistan were binding on all citizens and since betting is registered as a crime, therefore cricketers against whom substantial evidence has been acquired should be penalised.

He lashed out at the government for delaying decision on the controversial issue by interfering with appointment of a single man judicial commission. Currently four committees are empowered to investigate the case. Dr Mallick asked the government through a supplementary question to provide answer as to which committee will be held supreme and whose facts will be adjudged final. "It is very much possible that different committees have different opinions, therefore we want to know which committee's decision will be held supreme," he said.

Both upper and lower houses have their own respective committees on the issue, PCB has its own committee while the government in its latest move appointed a one-man judicial commission headed by Justice Malik Qayyum to probe the incidents.

In all some four questions were demanded on cricket with eight additional related queries.

MNA from Toba Tek Singh M. Hamza inquired about the number of players appointed as captain of Pakistan Cricket team since 1992 World Cup and how many Test matches have they won in their cricket career as captains. Tabulated as name, matches won, period of captaincy.

1. Javed Miandad (3) May 92-Jan 93,
2. Wasim Akram (9) Feb 93-Nov 93, Oct 95- Nov 96, Dec 96-Apr 97, Nov 97-Dec 97,
3. Waqar Younis (0) Dec 1993,
4. Salim Malik (7) Feb 94-Jan 95,
5. Rameez Raja (1) Apr 97-Sept 97,
6. Saeed Anwar (1) Nov 96-Dec 96, Sept 97-Oct 97,
7. Aamir Sohail (1) Feb 98-Mar 98,
8. Rashid Latif Jan 98-Apr 98.

Providing answers to the background of members of the present selection committee, it was stated that Wasim Bari (chairman) 81 tests, members Salauddin 5 tests and Shafique Ahmed 6 tests. The criteria for appointment of a selector is that he should be a prominent cricketer having played test or first class cricket with thorough knowledge of the game. He must have permanent affiliation with the game knowing all the boys playing national and first class cricket.

The ministry also maintained that PCB was considering to install lights at National Stadium Karachi. It spent a sum of Rs 91,660,725 for installation of lights at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

It was stated that due to litigation the accounts of PILCOM have not been finalised, therefore the total profit share of PCB cannot be quantified at this stage.

Source :: Dawn (https://dawn.com/)