Pakistan president calls for audit briefing

Pakistan's president and PCB chief patron Asif Ali Zardari will be given a comprehensive briefing on the audit report of the last four years by the sports ministry, the daily Dawn has reported.

"President Asif Ali Zardari will be briefed by the ministry officials over the 2004-08 special audit of the board,' the paper quoted a PCB official as saying. "A top Pakistan Peoples Party legislator has initiated the move for the presentation of the audit report to the patron. The late submission of report to the presidency by the audit department has raised doubts over transparency in it which is also reported for the past few weeks by the media."

Pakistan's national assembly standing committee on sports had previously requested the sports ministry to brief legislators in a briefing session on the July 30 reports over alleged irregularities. "There is a question mark over the transparency of the audit report and affairs of the PCB and the patron is well briefed over the issues of the board which are also being monitored by the sports ministry,' said the official. "The top agenda is a comprehensive briefing to the patron by the ministry on the audit report whereas other issues like approval of new constitution will also be discussed. The new constitutional draft has already been completed and only needs a final nod from president Zardari."

Pakistan's sports minister, Pir Aftab Shah Jilani, and the top brass of the sports ministry are expected to attend the meeting along with top officials from the PCB.