As Ehsan Mani exits, here's how PCB will elect a new chairman

• The PCB is likely to announce the process to elect the new chairman by next week.
• Ramiz Raja, having won the nod of the PCB patron PM Imran Khan, will get himself formally elected from the PCB's Board of Governors. 
• PM Imran Khan has appointed Justice Azmat Saeed as election commissioner to oversee the election of PCB chairman.

KARACHI: With Ehsan Mani completing his term as chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, the process to elect the new chairman is likely to be announced by next week.

While it has already emerged that former captain Ramiz Raja has been “selected” by the Prime Minister and the Patron of PCB, Imran Khan, for the role of chairman PCB, he will still have to get himself formally “elected” from Board of Governors to complete the process identified in PCB’s constitution.

According to the PCB constitution, the chairman of the board is elected by the Board of Governors from within the members of the board of governors.

Clause 6(1) of PCB says that the chairman of the board is elected by the board of governors from amongst themselves in accordance with clause 7 (of PCB constitution) for the period of three years.

Clause 7 explains the process to elect the chairman of the PCB which shall be done by convening a special meeting of the BoG by the majority of the total voting membership.

The Board of Governors should, according to the constitution, have 11 members, with 10 having voting rights, under clause 12 of the PCB constitution which defines the “composition of board of governors.”

According to 12.1 of PCB constitution, (a) three members from amongst the cricket association being the elected presidents of such CA, (b) two members nominated by the Patron, (c) four independent members amongst the nomination sent by the nomination committee, (d) Federal Secretary of Inter-Provincial Committee as an ex-officio member who will not be entitled to vote and (e.) the chief executive of the PCB.

Clause 13(2) of the constitution suggests that the quorum of the meeting shall be with five voting members including at least one member each appointed under paragraphs a, b and c of 12.1. However, there’s a provision for the quorum to be reduced pro-rata if the number of members is reduced.

Currently, the PCB is without any elected representatives of the Cricket Association as the elections of CAs are not held yet which automatically brings the voting members in BoG to 7.

Ehsan Mani and Asad Ali Khan, the previous two nominees of the Patron have completed their three-year terms on BoG and the patron is likely to nominate two names very soon.

It is expected that Asad Khan will continue to be the PM’s representative in BoG while Ramiz Raja will replace Ehsan Mani on the panel. They will join the four independent members – Alia Zafar, Javed Kureishi, Asim Wajid Jawad and Arif Saeed. These four independent members were appointed to the BoG as independent members after the Nomination committee, headed by PM’s nomination to board Asad Ali Khan, sent their names amongst 8 people to 59th meeting of BoG in November 2020.

The absence of elected officials of Cricket Association on BoG to elect the new chairman can be seen by some as a problem, but the constitution allows such a situation and their vacant seats will not invalidate the election of chairman PCB.

The Prime Minister and the Patron of PCB, Imran Khan has already appointed Justice Azmat Saeed as election commissioner to oversee the election of PCB chairman.

It is expected that the election schedule will be announced after the notification of PM’s representatives on BoG for the next three years.