Periscope on Pakistan

The nation : Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday said Pakistan has been making efforts to reduce tension in the Indo-Pak relations but regretted that New Delhi has not reciprocated with the same spirit. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan, who is representing Pakistan at the 16-member Conference of Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, stated this in interviews to the Kazakh media. Aziz expressed the hope that Kazakhstan will continue its principled support to the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

Akram returns as Pak captain

The Nation: in a most surprising move, Mr Mujeebur Rehman, Chairman pcb Ad Hoc Committee, has terminated the suspensions of Wasim Akram, Ijaz, and Malik and appointed Wasim captain for the Toronto Festival. With the team and captain already named and on its way for the3-match tournament, the decision to induct Akram should have been deferred till the end of the tournament. But the Ad Hoc PCB Chairman has chosen to act on his own sweet will, without concern for the repercussions that his shoddily executed decision will produce. The Chairman should also have waited for the Judicial Commission8217;s report on the players before ending their suspension. His contention that the judge concerned has been consulted is not persuasive, since the Commission8217;s pending decision would nevertheless keep the players under a cloud. The urgency and rush in which the decision has been announced were not merited.

Toronto is a two-nation tournament that should have been allowed to proceed once the captain and team had been named. What effect the sudden inclusion of Wasim as skipper will have on the team is hard to predict. Presumably the players are used to such PCB acrobatics and have more common sense than its bosses and would adjust and play as a well-knit team. However, it is obvious thatMr Mujeebur Rehman has been conferred unbounded powers without checks and balances from within the PCB. The sensitivity of the matter entailed that it be resolved with absolute transparency and the least possible controversy. Also, how could Mujeeb appoint the captain without consultation with the new Selection Committee which picked the team for Toronto? The Prime Minister should not try to run such organisations through his cronies without regard to rules and procedures. The President of Pakistan should restore the PCB8217;s organisational structure and appoint professional and experienced people to conduct its affairs. The way should be paved to remove all political interference from within the PCB, like its counterparts in other countries.