PCB releases employees aged 60 and above

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Lahore: Pakistan Cricket Board has terminated the services of their regular employees who have attained or crossed the age of 60 years and those affected include chief operating officer Wasim Bari.

A PCB official said Board's HR committee informed around 15 employees that their services were no longer required as they had become ineligible under the service rules act.
"The service rules states that employees who turn 60 have to be retired and unfortunately this list includes some very senior people," the official said.

The list includes besides Bari, the general manager of domestic cricket Shafiq Ahmed, umpires manager Khizar Hayat, and former Test player Ehteshamuddin, who works at the national cricket academy.

Indications are that the decision is part of the directives given to the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt by the Presidency to make changes in the board management.

"Apparently the changes are now being made because Butt was told clearly that if he wanted to remain Chairman until the next World Cup he would have to work with a new team," a well placed source said.

However, the legal advisor of the board Talib Rizvi made it clear that the officials who are being released under the service rules could be reemployed on contract basis.

"If we feel the services of any of these persons is essential, he can be re-hired on contract as government rules allow people aged 60 or above to work on short term contracts," he said.

The former Chairman of the board, Lt. General (retd) Tauqir Zia expressed surprise at the decision.

"The service rules have always been there so why has this thought dawned on them now to remove the people who are aged 60 or above," he asked.

Tauqir said that if the Board was sincere about improving its performance then it should try to induct fresh blood into the management.

Sources said Intikhab Alam, who is now the manager of the national team and also heads the national cricket academy, will be unaffected since he was already working on contractual basis.

Asked why the service rules did not affect Ijaz Butt who is over 70, one source said the Chairman was working on honorary basis in the board.